THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 

GIFT  OF 

Mrs.  Ben  B.  Lindsey 


THE 

LITTLE  SUFFERERS 

A  STORY  OF  THE  ABUSES  OF 
THE  CHILDREN'S  SOCIETIES 


BY 

G.  MARTIN  JURGENSON 

Author  of '  "The  Social  Mirror '  * 


BROADWAY   PUBLISHING   CO. 

885  Broadway,  New  York 

BRANCH  OFFICES:  WASHINGTON.  BALTIMORE 

INDIANAPOLIS,  NORFOLK.  DBS  MOINES.  IOWA 


COPYRIGHT,  1911,  BY 
G.  MARTIN  JURGENSON 


PS 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


PAGE 


CHAPTER 

I.     A   Story   of   the  Abuses   of   the   Chil 
dren's  Societies 5 

II.     The  O'Neils  in  the  Cell 13 

III.  A  Racket  at  the  Flanagans'  Home    .     .  24 

IV.  The  System's  Agents 35 

V.     In   the  Magistrate's   Court     ....  48 

VI.     The     Critical     Dilemma    of     Lankey 

George       58 

VII.     Jack  Stevenson  Reduced   from  Ranks    67 
VIII.     The   Kidnapping  of  the  O'Neil  Chil 
dren      75 

IX.     Mrs.  O'Neil's  Visit  at  One  of  the  Sys 
tem's  Homes 84 

X.     Lankey's  Arraignment  of  the   System    95 

XL     A  Visit  to  Hastings  Farm       ....  106 

XII.     Red  Hook  Dan  Connors'  Letter     .     .122 

XIII.  Harry  O'Neil  Disappointed     .     .    *     .  134 

XIV.  Jack     Stevenson     upon     the     Juvenile 

Question 151 

XV.     A    Light-Hearted    Dinner    Party     .     .172 
XVI.     The  Defeat  of  Jack  Stevenson     .     .     .  190 
XVII.     May   Thornton's    Appeal   to    her   Old 

Lover 202 

XVIII.     The   End  .  218 


1106175 


Utttle  Sufferers 


CHAPTER  I. 

A  STORY  OF  THE  ABUSES  OF  THE  CHILDREN'S 
SOCIETIES. 

"Truly,  Harry,  I'm  very  happy  that  you  got  that 
job,  even  though  it  is  a  few  dollars  less  a  week.  No 
matter,  dear,"  said  Mrs.  Harry  O'Neil,  as  she  helped 
her  husband  to  a  breakfast  of  liver  and  bacon.  Tak 
ing  a  seat  beside  him,  she  continued:  "By  and  by, 
dear,  you'll  get  a  position  like  the  last  one;  anyway, 
twelve  dollars  a  week  is  not  so  bad,  though  everything 
is  expensive.  I'm  not  extravagant,  nor  do  you  spend 
anything  for  drink,  so  of  course  we'll  get  along  nicely. 
Besides,  perhaps  Willie  can  sell  a  few  papers  and,  in 
a  pinch,  once  in  a  while  our  Louise  can  stay  home 
from " 

"You  are  awful  good,  Nelly,"  broke  in  her  husband, 
"but  it  must  come  hard,  my  child,  for  you  and  the 
children  to  get  along  on  so  little;  it  means  just  two 
dollars  a  day,  including  carfare  and " 

"I  know,  Harry,  I  know,"  she  exclaimed.  "But  did 
we  not  figure  out  last  night  that  by  moving  to  South 
Brooklyn,  where  you  are  going  to  work,  we  could  save 
a  few  dollars  a  week  in  rent?  And  besides,  you'll 
have  no  carfare  to  pay ;  so,  after  all,  dear,  it  is  not  so 


C&e  Little  Sufferers 


much  of  a  difference,  and  soon  we'll  get  used  to  it. 
Truly,  Harry,  we'll  be  as  happy  as  ever.  Where 
mutual  love  exists,  no  matter  what  befalls,  all  other 
troubles  can  easily  be  overcome.  You  were  always 
so  good  and  willing,  and  have  tried  so  hard  to  please 
me  and  have  our  home  so  pleasant,  that  surely  row  I 
can  help  you  a  little,  and  we  can  perhaps  save  a  few 
dollars.  I  can't  do  anything  too  much  for  you,  and, 
as  I  said  before,  Louise  once  in  a  while  can  mind  the 
baby  so  that  I  can  take  in  a  little  sewing  and  washing. 
Every  little  helps  and  does  no  harm." 

Endeavoring  to  conceal  his  emotion,  Harry  arose 
and,  embracing  his  wife  most  lovingly,  said  in  a  trem 
ulous  voice :  "Thank  you,  Nelly,  but  you  shall  not,  as 
long  as  I  have  all  my  limbs,  do  a  stroke  of  work  to 
earn  a  cent." 

Harry  now  hastened  to  his  new  job  as  teamster  in 
a  South  Brooklyn  planing  mill,  which  lay  close  to  Go- 
wanus  Canal. 

After  having  completed  her  household  duties,  Mrs. 
O'Neil,  with  her  three  children,  left  for  South  Brook 
lyn,  in  search  of  a  cheap  apartment  convenient  to  her 
husband's  work.  As  she  passed  up  and  down  the 
dirty  avenues  of  that  part  of  Brooklyn,  the  contrast  to 
what  she  wished  to  find  was  so  great  that  she  suffered 
intensely.  A  fear  came  over  her,  as  she  saw  women 
and  children  carrying  cans  of  beer  from  the  saloons 
which  were  run  by  some  of  the  aspiring  politicians  in 
that  ward.  Her  route  lay  directly  past  a  resort  fre 
quented  by  political  aspirants,  ne'er-do-wells,  ward  de 
tectives,  and  other  law-breakers,  who  leave  their 
tainted  money  at  the  bar,  and  in  return  look  for  the 
favor  and  protection  that  a  saloon-keeper's  influence 
or  pull  can  provide. 

"I'll  bet  my  last  nickel  that  that  piece  of  calico  and 
6 


C&e  Little  §>tifferer0 


the  fine  kids  are  something  new  about  here,"  said 
one  of  the  gang. 

"Just  look  at  her,  Jim,  she'd  have  made  a  fine  po 
liceman,  had  it  not  been  what  failed  her,"  said  an 
other. 

"Ah,  let  her  chase  herself,  we're  all  right,"  drawled 
a  sleepy-looking  individual  sitting  on  the  sidewalk. 

Mrs.  O'Neil  paid  no  attention  to  these  idle  remarks, 
although  they  added  to  her  misery. 

Finally,  worn  to  a  compromising  frame  of  mind, 
she  got  suited,  in  a  way,  in  the  lower  end  of  Bond 
Street,  within  a  couple  of  blocks  from  where  her  hus 
band  was  employed.  There  she  engaged  four  fairly 
decent  rooms  at  a  rental  of  ten  dollars  a  month. 

Having  completed  her  task,  Mrs.  O'Neil  started  for 
home.  On  passing  the  ice-house,  she  saw  at  a  corner 
about  two  dozen  idlers  lying  about  with  some  beer 
cans,  and  among  them  stood  a  policeman.  Being  a 
stranger  in  that  neighborhood,  she  asked  the  officer 
how  to  reach  the  cars  for  East  New  York. 

"Well,  well,"  drawled  the  officer,  fumbling  his  boy 
ish  face,  "I'm  on  my  vacation;  and,  anyway,  I'm  not 
a  street  directory.  I  am  assigned  to  catch "  Be 
fore  he  could  answer,  a  boy  offered  for  a  cent  to  guide 
her  to  the  nearest  car. 

She  gladly  accepted,  and  within  an  hour  she  reached 
home.  A  more  unhappy  woman  than  Mrs.  O'Neil 
could  hardly  be  imagined.  The  thought  of  leaving  her 
quiet  surroundings  and  cosey  home  to  dwell  in  a  lo 
cality  where  there  was  neither  law  nor  order,  discour 
aged  her  and  nearly  broke  her  heart. 

A  month  and  a  half  had  now  elapsed  since  the 
O'Neils  moved  into  their  new  home  in  Bond  Street, 
and  those  few  weeks  had  seemed  years  to  sensitive 
Mrs.  O'Neil.  Indeed,  she  had  ample  reason  to  feel 

7 


Little  ^sufferer* 


badly,  for  the  children  thereabouts  were  totally  de 
prived  of  training  and  the  merest  infants  were  left 
running  about  the  streets  without  proper  oversight. 
The  O'Neil  children  from  their  earliest  infancy  had 
been  properly  trained,  but  it  is  easily  conceived  that 
children  as  young  as  they  may  be  readily  led  into 
the  habits  of  their  fellow-playmates.  At  first  the 
little  girl  and  boy  consulted  their  mother  as  to  the 
impropriety  of  the  remarks  heard  in  the  streets,  but 
they  became  inured  to  the  life  into  which  they  had 
been  thrust.  Twelve-year-old  Willie  soon  fell  victim 
to  the  cigarette  habit,  and,  although  not  practising  it 
openly,  with  the  boys  of  his  own  age  he  would  fre 
quent  alleys  and  hallways  in  order  to  smoke,  gamble, 
and  use  profanity.  His  mother  openly  tried  to  in 
fluence  him  to  retain  his  former  good  habits,  thereby 
causing  other  mothers  of  the  neighborhood  to  ridi 
cule  her. 

Her  neighbor,  Mrs.  Flanagan,  tried  to  placate  her 
by  saying:  "Sure  enough,  Mrs.  O'Neil,  boys  will  be 
boys,  and  my  Jimmie,  as  smart  a  lad  as  ever  was 
reared  in  the  Tenth  Ward,  and  fit  to  be  alderman  in 
the  best  ward  in  town,  can  smoke  with  any  grown 
man  in  McGarry's  district.  Sure  he's  only  the  age 
of  your  Willie,  and  could  smoke  cigarettes  ever  since 
he  was  weaned." 

Mrs.  Flanagan  was  hopelessly  vulgar.  Her  hus 
band  drove  a  coal  cart,  and  they  lived  on  the  same 
floor  with  the  O'Neils.  Both  drank  and  encouraged 
their  children  to  do  the  same.  When  too  far  in  ar 
rears  in  rent,  they  would  move  to  other  quarters,  and 
continue  to  practise  their  habit.  They  had  a  large 
family  of  dirty  children;  their  little  girls  were  sent 
out  to  beg,  and  the  boys  to  plunder  passing  carts  and 
wagons,  stealing  food  and  fuel  for  the  use  of  their 
parents.  After  church  on  Sunday  the  children  were 

8 


C6e  JLfttle 


sent  out  with  the  black  bag  in  which  the  beer  can  was 
hidden,  as  was  the  custom  in  that  neighborhood. 

One  Sunday  morning,  while  the  children  were  still 
in  bed,  Mrs.  O'Neil  said  to  her  husband:  "Well, 
Harry,  here  is  twelve  dollars  which  I  have  saved  up, 
without  having  earned  a  cent  of  it  myself." 

"Nonsense,  child,  though  you  do  no  washing  for 
others,  you  earn  that  money  as  much  as  I  do,  and 
perhaps  more  so.  I  probably  would  spend  it  all,  were 
it  not  for  you,  my  dear." 

"I  would  like  you  to  spend  a  few  cents  now  and 
again  advertising  in  the  paper  for  a  better  position," 
:;aid  Mrs.  O'Neil.  "You  can  meanwhile  hold  on  to 
your  job,  and  I'll  attend  to  seeing  the  persons  who 
answer  your  advertisement,  so  you  needn't  lose  your 
present  position  until  you  get  one  to  suit  you.  I'm 
sure,  Harry,  this  one  must  be  hard  for  you,  who  have 
been  used  to  a  position  as  foreman.  When  you  have 
a  better  job  we  can  live  in  a  nicer  neighborhood." 

"It  would,  perhaps,  be  a  good  way  to  better  our 
selves,  but  I'm  all  right  where  I  am  if  you  can  stand  it 
here.  The  wages  are  rather  small,  but  I'm  not  worked 
so  hard,  dear,  nor  are  there  so  many  cares  resting 
upon  me  as  if  I  were  looking  after  a  gang  of  men." 

Harry  O'Neil  proceeded  to  the  stables  to  look  after 
his  horses,  and  Mrs.  O'Neil  went  to  mass,  leaving 
the  baby  in  the  care  of  little  Louise.  On  her  return 
from  Father  Duffy's  church,  upon  entering  the  hall, 
she  found  her  Willie  with  the  oldest  Flanagan  boy, 
Jimmy,  sliding  down  the  balusters  and  smoking  a 
cigarette.  Mrs.  O'Neil  felt  that  she  ought  to  punish 
the  boy,  for  long  since  she  had  suspected  that  he 
smoked  cigarettes  and  told  her  falsehoods  to  keep  it 
from  her. 

Willie  said  that  Jimmy  Flanagan  had  begged  him 
to  smoke,  and  Mrs.  Flanagan,  overhearing  this  with- 


Cbe  Little 


out  any  provocation  whatever,  laid  violent  hands  upon 
her  neighbor.  Mrs.  O'Neil  was  younger  and  stronger 
than  Mrs.  Flanagan,  and  broke  away  from  her  after 
a  slight  scuffle.  Mrs.  Flanagan  rolled  into  the  street 
just  as  Officer  O'Sullivan,  whom  she  knew,  passed 
the  house.  The  officer,  refusing  to  hear  Mrs.  O'Neil's 
explanation,  promptly  arrested  her  for  assault  and 
let  guilty  Mrs.  Flanagan  go.  Then  calling  for  a 
patrol  wagon,  he  took  the  shrinking  and  protesting 
woman  to  the  station  house.  When  they  reached  their 
destination  the  policeman  found  that  his  prisoner  had 
fainted  from  fright  and  mortification,  and  the  officers 
had  to  carry  her  in. 

Officer  O'Sullivan  said  to  the  sergeant:  "This 
woman  is  only  shamming,  or  else  she  is  drunk.  She 
nearly  killed  a  respectable  woman  comin'  home  from 
church,  and  sure  enough  a  murder  would  have  been 
committed  if  I  had  not  been  attendin'  to  me  duty." 

Mrs.  O'Neil  revived  in  a  few  moments  and,  rising 
to  her  feet,  cried :  "Oh,  please  let  me  go  home  to  my 
children.  I  am  innocent  of  any  wrong." 

"Shut  up!  Give  us  none  of  that,"  growled  the  offi 
cial  in  charge,  as  he  ordered  the  two  officers  to  put 
her  in  a  cell  until  morning. 

Just  then  Mr.  O'Neil  entered  and,  going  to  his  wife's 
side,  he  said  excitedly :  "Leave  her  alone ;  she's  my 
wife,  and  is  guilty  of  no  misconduct." 

The  doorman,  who  stood  by,  attempted  to  come  be 
tween  O'Neil  and  his  wife,  but  Harry,  who  had  al 
most  lost  his  senses  through  what  had  happened,  gave 
the  officer  a  stinging  blow  and  knocked  him  down. 
Then,  turning  toward  O'Sullivan,  who  was  holding 
Mrs.  O'Neil,  he  struck  him  and  also  knocked  him 
down. 

"Why  don't  you  use  your  clubs  ?  We  can't  have  ruf 
fians  come  to  the  station  house  and  do  us  up  at  their 

10 


Little  Sufferers 


own  liking,"  said  the  sergeant,  in  no  mild  tone,  lean 
ing  over  the  rail.  Officer  Jack  Stevenson,  who  was 
attracted  by  the  scuffle,  rushed  from  an  inner  room 
and  with  a  wrestler's  grip  laid  the  infuriated  man  on 
the  floor.  O'Sullivan,  angered  by  the  blow  he  re 
ceived,  hit  him  several  hard  blows  upon  the  head, 
lacerating  his  cheeks.  The  doorman,  too,  prepared  to 
avenge  himself,  but  here  Officer  Jack  interfered  and 
tried  to  raise  O'Neil  upon  his  feet. 

This  beating  not  only  took  the  fight  out  of  Harry, 
but  it  dazed  him.  The  officers  could  not  support  him 
on  his  feet,  and  he  sank  helpless  to  the  floor. 

Scratching  his  head,  the  sergeant  said :  "You  landed 
him  pretty  tough,  all  right.  Throw  the  gent  into  the 
cell,  and  be  quick  about  it,  too,  as  he  might  die  on  our 
hands." 

These  brutal  occurrences  occupied  but  a  few  minutes. 
Mrs.  O'Neil  had  become  frantic,  and  was  now  wildly 
fighting  to  assist  her  blood-smeared,  dazed  husband. 
Upon  the  sergeant's  assertion  that  he  might  die  upon 
their  hands,  she  uttered  a  loud  screech  and  dropped  to 
the  floor. 

While  the  doorman  and  Officer  O'Sullivan  dragged 
Harry,  helpless  and  stupefied,  into  a  cell,  Officer  Jack 
picked  up  the  poor,  unconscious  woman  whom  he  car 
ried  into  a  separate  cell  and  stretched  upon  the  floor 
to  revive  as  best  she  might. 

The  officers  then  returned  to  the  desk,  all  of  them 
looking  somewhat  disturbed,  and  the  sergeant  most 
of  all.  This  condition  was  not  to  be  wondered  at,  as 
he  was  on  the  promotion  list  for  Captaincy,  and, 
though  a  strong  favorite  of  the  chief,  he  could  not  af 
ford  to  be  publicly  criticized  or  investigated. 

Looking  at  the  three  officers,  the  sergeant  said:  "I 
wouldn't  care  if  you  had  killed  the  dog  (meaning  Mr. 
O'Neil)  if  it  had  been  near  the  canal  where  you  could 

ll 


Little 


have  kicked  him  in,  but  every  reporter  in  town  is  down 
on  us;  they'll  roast  us  in  the  papers,  and  we  don't 
want  no  investigation,  see?"  In  a  cautious  tone  he 
noted:  "Them  folks  in  the  pen  got  more'n  what's 
good  for  'em,  and  we  must  fix  up  things  so  the  job 
looks  straight.  You,  Officer  O'Sullivan,"  he  now  di 
rected,  "go  down  to  'Pikes'  McGinn's  distillery  and 
get  two  flasks  of  his  rankest  booze.  Then  you  go  into 
their  cells  and  if  you  can't  get  the  stuff  down  their 
throats,  souse  it  all  over  'em,  so  they  smell  like  a 
rum  shop.  I'll  ring  up  the  hospital  so  they  can  come 
and  give  us  a  clean  bill  of  our  duties." 

In  a  few  minutes  O'Sullivan  returned  with  a  couple 
of  flasks,  each  containing  a  quart  of  whiskey,  and  with 
his  brother  officer  proceeded  to  the  pen  of  Harry 
O'Neil,  who  had  not  yet  come  out  of  his  stupor.  They 
managed  to  pour  down  the  helpless  man's  throat  fully 
a  pint  of  the  stuff,  the  remainder  they  spilled  over  his 
clothes.  As  he  lay  there  he  truly  appeared  a  helpless 
drunk.  Mrs.  O'Neil,  wretched  and  semi-conscious, 
was  still  stretched  on  the  bare  floor,  and  she  was  sub 
jected  to  the  same  ordeal.  "This  is  good  stuff  fer  ye, 
me  gal,"  crudely  joked  one  of  the  officers,  as,  despite 
her  protests,  he  forced  a  good  part  of  the  contents 
down  her  throat.  The  balance  of  the  vile  brew  was 
dashed  upon  her  face,  hair,  and  clothes. 

Meanwhile,  the  sergeant  had  noted  the  occurrence 
upon  the  record  in  two  separate  paragraphs.  The 
first  read :  "Unknown  woman  too  intoxicated  to  give 
any  address,  brought  by  Officers  Jack  and  O'Sullivan ; 
besides  being  intoxicated,  she  created  a  disturbance." 

The  second  consisted  of  these  words:  "An  intoxi 
cated  unknown  man,  terribly  bruised  and  cut,  followed 
unknown  woman  to  the  station  house.  Upon  his  enter 
ing  he  fell  down  in  a  drunken  stupor." 

12 


Little  %>iifferet* 


Beneath  both  of  these  entries  was  marked  "Ambu 
lance  call  required  by  cause  of  their  apparently  ex 
treme  intoxicated  conditions." 


CHAPTER  II. 
THE  O'NEILS  IN  THE  CELL. 

Some  little  time  passed  while  the  officers  were  in 
the  cells  of  the  unfortunate  couple.  The  sergeant 
spent  these  moments  walking  up  and  down  behind  the 
desk,  apparently  speculating.  Was  it  possible  that  with 
in  his  guilty  self  he  nourished  a  feeling  of  cowardice 
to  look  on  and  encourage  three  strong,  brave  officers 
to  attack  an  unarmed  man  and  so  severely  beat  him 
while  he  was  down? 

He  had  become  a  police  officer  after  a  three  years' 
sojourn  in  this  country,  having  managed  to  secure 
witnesses  to  testify  to  a  five  years'  stay.  Like  some  of 
the  coarser  of  his  race,  upon  finding  certain  powers 
vested  in  himself,  he  had  allowed  his  love  of  author 
ity  to  run  riot. 

"Well,  fellers,  did  you  make  a  good  job  of  it?"  he 
asked,  in  an  encouraging  tone,  as  the  officers  returned 
from  the  cell. 

"I  bet  yer  me  brass  buttons  and  three  days'  pay 
that  dem  folks  never  had  such  a  soaking  before.  The 
ambulance  surgeon  will  'diocese'  it  to  be  perfidious 
drunkedness,  and  in  last  stage,  at  that,"  reported 
O'Sullivan  learnedly.  "They'll  be  sure  livin'  grog 
shops  in  any  sober  man's  eyes.  But  what  I  have  fear 
o'  most,  sergeant" — he  drew  in  partial  whisper — 
"they  won't  live  the  day  ter  tell  their  story." 

"Oh,  hell,  we  only  done  our  duty,"  quickly  entered 

13 


Cfje  Little  Sufferers: 


the  sergeant,  in  a  matter-of-fact  way ;  "should  the 
junk  die  on  our  hands,  our  record  will  show  clean." 

"Sure,  sure,"  corroborated  O'Sullivan,  throwing  his 
chest  forward  proudly. 

The  sergeant  went  on :  "We  have  bums  enough  in 
this  ward,  anyhow,  that  would  be  a  good  way  to  git 
rid  of  some  of  'em.  I  bets  you  a  platoon  if  I  get  my 
promotion  I'll  jest  make  an  example  of  the  rest  of 
them !" 

While  Officer  Jack  made  no  reply,  O'Sullivan 
agreed:  "Sure  on  yer  life,  sergeant,  Brooklyn  is  a 
bum  town,  and  there  ain't  a  dasen'  man  livin'  in  it,  but 
we'll  soon  cervilize  'em." 

Barely  had  the  speaker  finished  when  the  ambulance 
clanged  up  in  front  of  the  station  house,  and  there 
quickly  alighted  a  dapper  young  doctor  with  a  satchel 
in  hand. 

"Hallo,  Cap,"  he  saluted,  with  pleasant  freedom, 
"what's  the  trouble  ?" 

"A  couple  of  the  finest  drunks  you  ever  seen,  Doc. 
Since  I  took  to  my  uniform,  I  never  seen  the  like," 
announced  the  sergeant  soberly. 

"Yis,"  promptly  corroborated  Officer  O'Sullivan, 
"what  they  have  drunk  would  float  a  vessel,  and  it 
smells  loike  nicotine,"  he  ended,  in  a  wise  assurance. 

"Whew !  I  guess  by  that  I'd  better  get  my  cork 
screw,"  answered  the  doctor,  as  he  returned  to  the 
ambulance,  where  he  removed  from  a  chest  certain 
implements.  "This  will  do  some  little  sipping  out," 
he  said  assuringly,  as  he  showed  the  stomach  pump. 

"Where  are  the  creatures,"  the  doctor  now  asked, 
preparing  for  duty.  "Let's  go  and  take  their  index," 
he  added,  throwing  away  the  butt  of  a  cigarette.  "Show 
me  the  woman  first ;  she  is  probably  the  weakest  from 
the  effect  of  drink." 

The  officers  thereupon  led  him  toward  the  cell  occu- 

14 


C&e  Little  Sufferers: 


pied  by  Mrs.  O'N'eil.  But  to  the  surprise  of  both  offi 
cers  and  the  doctor,  when  the  door  was  opened,  lean 
ing  against  the  partition,  stood  Mrs.  O'Neil,  looking 
sternly  calm.  She  had  much  the  aspect  of  a  martyr. 
Stepping  toward  the  incomers  with  dignity,  she  said, 
in  a  tense  tone :  "Where  is  my  husband  ?  Let  me  get 
him  and  go  home  to  my  children,  and  I  shall  forgive 
all." 

The  doctor  looked  greatly  astonished  as  the  beauti 
ful,  clear  face  and  eyes  gave  no  sign  of  dissipation. 
The  officers,  disappointedly  surprised,  had  to  cling  to 
each  other  for  support.  They  now  realized  that  the 
whiskey  with  which  they  had  saturated  the  woman 
had  been  only  a  means  of  reviving  her. 

However,  the  doctor  kept  on  stirring.  Finally  he 
said  to  one  of  the  officers :  "Haven't  you  brought  me 
into  the  wrong  cell?  This  woman  is  no  drunkard, 
nor  does  she  appear  to  need  medical  attention  of  any 
sort." 

Officer  Jack  looked  greatly  ashamed,  while  Officer 
O'Sullivan  said :  "Upon  me  oath,  doctor,  she  was  as 
drunk  as  a  beet  when  we  brought  her  here,  or  else 
she  was  shammin'.  Jest  smell  at  her  garments,  if  they 
don't  smell  loike  real  fire  brand  I'll  never  draw  another 

pay." 

Here  Mrs.  O'Neil  broke  in :  "I  remarked  some  pe 
culiar  odor  about  my  person,  and  I,  too,  felt  that  some 
one  had  given  me  something  strong  internally  which 
has  brought  me  out  of  my  fainting  spell.  But,  truly 
sir" — she  now  addressed  the  doctor — "I  never  drank 
a  glass  of  intoxicating  liquor  in  my  life.  If  some  one 
has  given  me  something  now,  it  has  perhaps  aided  me. 
If  you  will  only  just  let  me  go  home  to  my  little  chil 
dren  I  shall  be  happy,"  she  ended  her  appeal,  with  a 
strain  of  strong  self-possession  in  her  voice. 

The  doctor  was  deeply  touched  by  her  purity  and 

IS 


Cfte  Little  Sufferers; 


sincerity.  He  realized  that  a  good  woman  had  been 
wronged  for  some  cause.  Of  course,  he  was  not  called 
to  look  into  details;  she  needed  no  aid  from  him.  In 
a  tone  of  strong  sympathy  he  said,  as  he  prepared  to 
leave:  "I  am  sorry,  my  good  woman,  it  is  not  in  my 
power  to  release  you  and  send  you  home  to  your  chil 
dren,  though  I  will  vouch  for  your  ability  to  look  after 
them.  I  am  but  an  ambulance  surgeon  and  not  a  mag 
istrate.  I  will  say,  though,  that  should  the  charge  of 
intoxication  be  brought  against  you  in  the  morning, 
I'll  take  the  stand  in  your  behalf " 

"Oh,  in  the  morning,"  here  broke  in  the  poor 
mother,  with  a  wild  cry,  "but  what  will  become  of 
my  poor  children  all  night  ?  All — alone — all — alone  ! 
Oh,  my  husband !  Oh,  my  children !  Oh,  what  shall 
I  do?" 

The  poor,  wretched  mother  sank  back  upon  the 
hard  floor  and  piteously  wept  and  moaned.  The  sur 
geon  who  could  vivisect  both  humans  and  animals  and 
listen  to  cries  of  suffering  without  any  great  show  of 
pity,  here  felt  tears  rush  to  his  eyes.  Mrs.  O'Neil 
soon  faintly  leaned  back;  her  moanings  and  whisper 
ings  for  her  loved  ones  grew  fainter ;  the  pupils  of  her 
eyes  began  to  set,  and  she  seemed  to  undergo  a  proc 
ess  somewhat  akin  to  death.  The  good  doctor,  with 
a  strong  emotion,  pleaded :  "Cheer  up,  madam,  it  will 
all  come  out  right." 

The  doctor  now  felt  her  lowering  pulse,  and  at 
once  removed  some  stimulant  from  a  vial  which  he 
carried  in  his  vest  pocket,  and,  after  some  persuasion, 
he  finally  revived  her.  "For  the  sake  of  your  children 
you  must  live.  If  you  succumb  now  what  will  be 
come  of  your  home  and  little  ones?" 

This  little  cheer  and  strong  suggestion  did  much 
toward  stimulating  her.  She  arose  to  a  sitting  posi 
tion;  sending  the  doctor  a  feeble  look  of  thanks,  she 

16 


C&e  JU'ttle  %ufferet0 


said  weakly:  "Yes,  that  is  true;  I  shall  try  to  be 
brave." 

It  was  without  a  doubt  the  most  touching  scene 
the  doctor  had  ever  witnessed.  Pain  of  the  mind,  of 
the  heart,  and  a  mother's  feeling  and  a  woman's  love 
for  husband  and  home  spoke  through  it  all.  Its  true 
sincerity  could  not  fail  to  awaken  the  coldest  of  spec 
tators. 

The  police  officers  felt  very  uncomfortable  at  wit 
nessing  this  tragic  scene,  and  if  it  gave  them  no 
warning  for  future,  it  at  least  made  within  them  a 
mark  that  now  and  again  would  be  touched.  In  their 
uncomfortable  position  they  felt  much  relieved  when 
the  sergeant  poked  his  head  in  and  asked  and  de 
manded  to  know  what  all  the  fuss  was  about.  He  had 
become  alarmed  at  the  doctor's  unusually  long  visit. 
His  guilt  nagged  him,  but  he  had  to  show  a  brazen 
spirit  in  order  that  at  least  his  outer  skirts  should  ap 
pear  clean. 

However,  the  doctor,  in  a  like  brisk  tone,  returned : 
"This  lady  is  not  intoxicated,  and  in  my  opinion  never 
has  been.  She  needs  most  of  all  to  be  released  and 
sent  home  to  her  children.  I  own  no  real  estate  to 
pledge  as  bond,  but  will  you  parole  her  in  my  care 
till  morning,  and  I'll  see  that  she  answers  the  call  in 
court,  and " 

"Here!  Here!  Here!"  abruptly  broke  in  the  ser 
geant,  in  strong  ill-temper.  "Your  duty  has  ended  if 
she  does  not  need  your  assistance,  so  you  may  go." 

"I  am  very  sorry  for  you,  my  good  woman,"  sym 
pathetically  remarked  the  young  doctor,  as  he  was 
forced  to  depart.  The  officers,  much  pleased  to  have 
an  end  to  the  scene,  locked  the  cell  door,  leaving  poor 
Mrs.  O'Neil  alone  in  torture. 

As  he  thought  of  the  situation,  the  doctor  had  be 
come  touched  with  anger,  both  in  the  treatment  of 


Little  Sufferers 


the  unhappy  woman  and  the  sergeant's  rough  answer 
to  him.  "Where  is  that  other  drunk  that  you  said  you 
had?"  he  roughly  demanded. 

The  sergeant  had  motioned  his  men  not  to  lead  the 
doctor  to  O'Neil's  cell,  for  he  feared  that  a  similar 
result  would  follow. 

"Oh,  the  fellow  is  sobered  up,  and  don't  need  no 
body,"  answered  the  sergeant  abruptly. 

Whereupon,  the  doctor,  who  felt  grieved,  replied : 
"It  don't  cost  anything  nor  does  it  harm,  while  I  am 
here,  I  might  as " 

"Here,  that'll  do !"  cut  in  the  sergeant  savagely. 
"I  don't  want  to  stand  for  no  ruse  from  any  of  yer 
ambulance  fellers,"  he  returned,  with  a  strong  glance. 

Upon  this  ultimatum,  with  a  disgust  upon  his  face, 
the  doctor  departed  with  his  unused  stomach  pump  and 
surgical  outfit. 

As  the  ambulance  clanged  and  rolled  away,  the  ser 
geant  remarked :  "I'd  leave  off  my  vacation  if  I  could 
nap  that  cheeky  ambulance  pacer  and  chuck  him  in 
my  woodbin  fer  a  week's  spell.  I  will  bet  he'd  soon 
learn  ter  mind  his  own  business." 

"Hey  you,  Jack,"  he  now  instructed  the  officer,  "go 
and  see  how  the  feller  is  getting  on  with  his  booze; 
maybe  the  stuff  woke  him  up,  too." 

O'Sullivan  followed  Jack.  As  they  reached  the  cell 
they  breathlessly  opened  the  door  and  peeped  in.  The 
whiskey  had  had  a  similar  reviving  effect  upon  O'Neil, 
but  his  whole  face  showed  unmistakable  effect  of  ill- 
treatment.  The  injured  man  noticed  them,  and  said: 
"Officers,  I'll  be  willing  to  stay  over  night  in  the  cell 
and  face  any  charge  you  may  prefer  against  me,  but 
permit  my  wife  to  go  home.  She  has  three  children, 
the  oldest  but  twelve  and  the  youngest  a  baby.  We 
are  entirely  without  friends  and  acquaintances  here, 

18 


Little  Sufferers; 


and  it  is  within  human  reason  that  you  cannot  permit 
those  little  ones  to  be  alone." 

"Well,  we'll  see  what  we  can  do  for  you,  though 
you  was  pretty  fresh,"  replied  Jack,  in  a  conciliating 
tone. 

"Perhaps  I  was,"  answered  Harry.  "But  I  was 
drawn  into  it ;  I  knew  my  wife  was  innocent,  and " 

"That'll  do  ye/'  broke  in  O'Sullivan  pompously. 
"We're  officers  of  the  law,  and  act  according  to  our 
sworn  duties.  Had  yer  wife  bin  innocent,  she  wouldn't 
hive  bin  arrested ;  it  ain't  fer  yers  ter  lay  rules  fer 
the  perlice." 

It  was  evident  to  Harry  that  there  would  be  noth 
ing  gained  by  pleading  for  clemency  or  his  wife's  in 
nocence.  Controlling  himself,  he  said :  "It  may  all  be 
true  as  you  may  say,  but  I  am  sure  you'll  not  see  those 
innocent  children  punished  and  deprived  of  care." 

"If  it  was  in  my  power,  I  would  free  her,  all  right, 
but  the  best  I  can  do  for  you,  friend,  is  to  speak  to 
the  acting  captain,"  consoled  Officer  Jack,  as  they  left 
the  cell.  Upon  reaching  without,  Jack  remarked  :  "I'm 
awful  sorry  for  this  couple.  The  sergeant  has  made 
a  blunder  of  it,  and  I'll  have  to  confess  I  lent  my  hand 
to  it,  too." 

"Ah,  ye're  a  molly  Jack,"  was  all  that  O'Sullivan 
answered,  and  they  proceeded  toward  the  desk. 

"The  stuff  we  gave  him  took  the  fight  out  o'  him, 
but  it. made  him  as  sober  as  a  teetotaler,"  reported 
O'Sullivan.  Whereupon,  Jack  added  pacifically :  "He 
wants  us  to  leave  his  wife  go  home  to  her  chil 
dren " 

"None  of  that,"  interrupted  the  sergeant,  with  a 
chastising  look ;  "we  have  made  a  job  of  it,  and  must 
stick  to  the  bluff.  The  entry  is  made  upon  the  blotter, 
and  I  won't  stand  for  no  softin'  up." 

19 


C6e  Little  Sufferers 


At  this  moment  the  door  of  the  main  entrance 
opened,  and  a  respectable  looking  workman  entered. 
Before  he  had  reached  the  desk,  the  sergeant,  in  his 
customary  "bulldozing"  tone,  accosted  him  with: 
"Well,  what  do  ye  want?" 

"Well,  well,  I " 

"I  asked  what  do  you  want?"  the  sergeant  snarl- 
ingly  interrupted,  before  the  incomer  had  been  able  to 
explain. 

"I  came  to  see  about  Mrs.  O'Neil,  who  was  taken 
away  from  her  home  in  the  patrol,  and  also  to  inquire 
if  her  husband  is  here.  They  have  little  children 
home,  and " 

"Hey,  not  so  fast,  you !"  broke  off  the  sergeant. 
"Who  are  you,  and  what's  your  name  ?" 

"My  name  is  Tom  Ryan.  I  work  in  the  Planet 
Mill  with  Harry,  and  live  a  block  away  from  his  home. 
He  has  no  friends  around  here,  but  from  my  short 
acquaintance  with  him  I  learned  that  he's  a  decent 
fellow,  and  I  want  to  help  him  if  I  can." 

"I  know  none  by  the  name  of  Harry  or  O'Neil,  but 
I  have  some  drunks  in  the  cell  too  soused  to  give 
their  names,  so  you  better  not  bother  yerself  about  it. 
Go  home  and  mind  your  own  business.  To-morro' 
the  judge  will  act  accordin'  to  his  duty." 

"Well,  captain,  you  wouldn't  for  a  moment  think  of 
leaving  that  woman  in  the  cell  over  night  with  her 
little " 

"Here,  here,  damn  you;  I'm  running  this  precinct, 
and  won't  stand  for  no  meddlin'!"  snapped  the  ser 
geant. 

"You  must  hear  me.  That  woman  you  brought  in 
your  wagon  is  Mrs.  O'Neil.  She  just  came  from 
church,  and  as  I  understood  it  from  inquiry,  she  does 
not  drink,  and  I  know  Harry,  her  husband,  don't  touch 
liquor  at  all,  so  there " 

20 


Little  Sufferers: 


"Have  you  got  any  real  estate  property  to  go  on 
their  bail  with?"  demanded  the  sergeant  sarcastically. 

"No;  but— but " 

"But — you  git  out  of  here  or  I'll  clap  you  into  a 
cell  till  mornin',"  cried  the  sergeant  angrily,  as  he 
partly  arose  from  his  seat. 

For  fear  the  sergeant  would  carry  out  his  threat, 
the  interceder  in  the  unfortunate  couple's  behalf  re 
treated.  He  gained  courage  enough  as  he  reached  the 
outer  threshold  to  hurl  back:  "You  people  here  have 
made  a  miserable  blunder,  and  though  I  have  no 
bonded  real  estate  to  pledge  for  their  release,  I'll  have 
his  boss  and  others  who  know  them  in  court  to-mor 
row  to  expose  your  shameful  actions." 

"If  I  had  that  dog  back  again  I'd  fix  him  up  so  he'd 
get  a  six  months'  stretch  on  the  Island.  I'd  give  him 
a  lesson  for  sassing  back  an  acting  captain,"  snarled 
the  sergeant,  as  Torn  Ryan  closed  the  door. 

"Well,  I'll  mighty  quick  nab  him  fer  yer,  sergeant," 
responded  O'Sullivan,  as  he  hurried  to  intercept  the 
departing  one.  But  the  sergeant  quickly  reflected 
and  called  him  back. 

"No,  it  won't  do,  'Sullivan ;  we  must  be  a  bit  care 
ful,  though  we  have  the  law  with  us ;  but,"  he  added, 
vindictively,  "if  any  of  youse  meet  that  young  upstart 
in  a  dark  alley,  don't  fear  to  bale  him  with  your  night 
stick  and  haul  him  along  so  we  can  get  the  feller 
mugged  and  have  his  likeness  tagged  in  the  gallery." 

Jack  meanwhile  looked  rather  absorbed  in  thought, 
and  the  sergeant  noticed  this,  and  in  no  mild  tone  ex 
claimed  :  "Say  you,  Jack,  you'll  never  make  yer  mark 
on  the  force ;  you'd  be  better  fit  fer  police  matron.  I 
ain't  got  no  use  fer.  that  kind  ov  men  weakin'  in  the 
middle  of  a  job." 

"I  ain't  going  back  on  no  job,  but  I  feel  for  the 
couple.  I  have  three  little  children  and  a  good  wife, 

21 


Cfje  Little  Sufferers 


too,  and  can't  help  feeling  their  position,"  answered 
Jack  sadly. 

"Say,  ye  are  a  beeswax,  Jack,  and  should  be  made 
ter  trot  post  on  the  cemetery  and  weep  o'er  the  dead," 
returned  the  sergeant  in  ridicule. 

Barely  had  the  sergeant  spoken  the  last  syllable 
when  the  telephone  rang.  Reaching  for  the  receiver, 
a  voice  was  heard:  "This  is  the  juvenile  system.  We 
have  a  report  that  you  have  in  your  lock-up  the  par 
ents  of  three  little  children." 

"Maybe  we  have,  and  maybe  we  ain't,"  answered 
the  sergeant,  not  wishing  to  commit  himself.  How 
ever  vulgar  the  sergeant  was,  he  felt  that  the  pair  had 
been  punished  enough  without  taking  away  their  chil 
dren.  He  knew  the  practice  of  this  alleged  humani 
tarian  society,  which  describes  itself  as  the  juvenile 
system,  a  chartered  private  incorporated  company.  He 
was  also  aware  that  when  this  system  once  gets  chil 
dren  within  their  clutches,  no  judge  in  the  country 
can  release  them.  But  of  course,  like  a  good,  true 
officer,  sworn  to  law  and  duty,  he  could  not  go  back 
on  his  own  report  on  the  blotter. 

As  he  prepared  to  hang  up  the  receiver  he  said :  "I'll 
look  into  it  and  let  ye  know." 

The  sergeant  did  not  feel  altogether  at  ease.  For 
his  own  sake  he  would  much  have  preferred  that  those 
arrests  had  not  been  made;  it  began  to  dawn  upon 
him  that  something  unpleasant  might  arise  from  it. 
Though  he  had  the  backing  of  the  commissioner  and 
all  his  precinct  men,  withal,  such  brutal  treatment  of 
a  good  couple  might  work  him  an  injury. 

After  a  little  deliberation  and  fumbling  with  his  red 
mustache,  he  said  to  his  officers :  "You  needn't  push 
the  case  for  the  judge  in  the  morning  unless  it  comes 
to  a  strong  test.  Then  ye  must  stand  by  the  charge 
and  you  put  the  two  empty  whiskey  flasks  in  evi- 


C6e  Little 


dence  which  you  must  swear  to  that  you  took  out  ov 
their  clothes.  And  get  a  couple  ov  more  officers  to 
swear  that  the  pair  were  drunk  and  disorderly."  In 
a  threatening  tone  he  added :  "That  ambulance  sur 
geon  may  be  there  in  the  morning.  But  I'll  bet  yer 
me  buttons  he'll  lose  his  job  if  he  does." 

After  another  pause,  he  continued :  "You,  'Sullivan 
and  Jack,  bundle  off  yer  uniform  and  git  inter  plain 
clothes  and  go  ter  Bond  Street  and  get  some  evidence 
that  the  pair  were  disorderly  and  drunk.  I  don't  care 
where  or  how  ye  gits  it,  either." 

"Sure  I'll  scare  half  ov  the  ward  to  swear  ter  what 
I  say,"  answered  Officer  O'Sullivan  with  a  wink,  while 
Officer  Jack  said  nothing,  but  reluctantly  went  along, 
according  to  bidding. 

A  few  minutes  afterward  that  pair  of  officers  were 
on  detective  duty.  As  they  reached  Butler  and  Bond 
Streets,  Jack  was  heard  remarking  firmly :  "I'll  not 
for  all  the  police  jobs  in  the  country  help  to  plot  up 
any  further  than  I  have.  I'm  going  to  see  if  I  can 
get  some  kind  neighbor  to  look  after  the  unfortunate 
children  till  morning.  Just  suppose  these  poor  chil 
dren  should  be  abducted  by  the  Juvenile  System?" 

"Oh,  ye  should  be  in  petticoats,  Jack !"  replied 
O'Sullivan,  who  looked  for  great  fame  upon  the  po 
lice  force. 

Upon  this  they  turned  and  walked  toward  the  lower 
end  of  Bond  Street.  Officer  O'Sullivan  said:  "Say, 
Jack,  let's  take  a  spin  up  to  Flanagan's  and  we'll  find 
enough  ter  clear  our  record." 

"You  do  as  you  like,  O'Sullivan,  but  if  I  want  evi 
dence  I  want  it  from  a  different  source.  But  candidly 
there  could  be  no  evidence  strong  enough  to  satisfy 
me  that  those  people  in  our  lock-up  are  anything  but 
respectable,"  answered  Jack  firmly.  "I  do  not  hold 
myself  above  going  a  little  out  of  the  way  where  no 
one  is  to  become  the  sufferer,  and  I'll  do  anything  to 

23 


C&e  Little  §>ufferet$ 


aid  my  superiors  in  posing  strong,  but  I'll  mangle  no 
souls  in  order  to  do  so." 

"All  right,  Jack,  ye  know  best,"  returned  O'Sulli- 
van,  with  a  mild  scorn,  as  he  turned  on  his  heels, 
walking  toward  Flanagan's. 

Officer  Jack  remained  standing  on  the  corner  for  a 
few  moments,  speculating  upon  what  course  to  take 
in  order  to  save  those  unfortunate  O'Neil  children 
from  the  System's  claws.  He  had  learned  from  the 
telephone  conversation  that  this  organization  was  upon 
their  tracks. 

His  thoughts  were  suddenly  interrupted  by  loud 
clanging  and  soundings  from  gongs  and  clattering 
hoofs,  which  came  from  the  direction  of  lower  Bond 
Street.  His  brother  officer  was  only  a  few  paces  off, 
so  hurriedly  Jack  turned  and  followed  him.  Both 
walked  quickly  to  the  point  to  discover  the  cause  of 
the  commotion. 


CHAPTER  III. 

A  RACKET  AT  THE  FLANAGANS'  HOUSE. 

None  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  O'Neils,  beyond 
the  fact  of  a  patrol  wagon  having  carried  away  Mrs. 
O'Neil,  had  any  knowledge  that  her  husband  had 
suffered  a  similar  fate;  nor  did  the  fact  awaken  any 
unusual  interest.  Fights,  disturbances,  and  police 
'buses,  in  this  and  similar  sections,  are  daily  occur 
rences,  though  more  particularly  so  on  Sundays  and 
holidays,  when  the  habitual  roughness  and  coarseness 
have  opportunity  to  run  riot. 

However,  this  O'Neil  couple  were  comparatively 
strangers,  and  not,  by  any  means,  favorites ;  so,  while 
they  suffered  in  the  lock-up,  their  little  ones  were  left 

24 


Cfje  Little  Sufferer* 


entirely  to  themselves.  Of  course,  Mrs.  Flanagan  and 
her  pals  in  the  same  building  knew  it,  but  their  spirit 
of  joy  ran  in  the  vein  of  punishing  any  one  belonging 
to  the  O'Neil  family,  and  so  they  took  no  heed  con 
cerning  the  fate  of  the  little  ones. 

When  the  wagon  took  Mrs.  O'Neil  away,  her  boy 
Willie  ran  into  their  home  and  hid  away,  crying ;  this 
no  doubt  being  the  severest  punishment  for  any  of  his 
deeds.  While  his  sister  sat  trembling,  weeping,  and 
hugging  the  baby  in  her  tiny  arms,  her  poor  little 
brother  piteously  cried  and  pleaded  to  be  given  back 
his  mamma,  and  loudly  promised  that  he  would  never 
swear  or  smoke  cigarettes  again  if  only  his  mamma 
would  come.  But  alas !  his  sorrowful  heart  in  begging 
forgiveness  had  no  one  to  offer  consolation,  but  his 
little  sister,  who  also  suffered  as  keen  a  pang.  Thus, 
while  these  children  despaired  in  tears,  their  mother 
was  kept  in  a  cruel  cell,  suffering  a  similar  torture. 

Of  course,  the  two  larger  O'Neil  children  knew 
that  their  father  had  gone  for  their  mother,  but  they 
could  not  grasp  so  cruel  an  idea  as  what  had  hap 
pened,  nor  the  cause  of  their  desertion.  At  last,  after 
suffering  long  distracted  absence  from  their  parents, 
the  children  became  faint  and  weak.  In  their  help 
less  plight  they  twined  themselves  close  together  in  a 
corner  of  their  front  room  and  cried  themselves  into 
a  sweet,  forgiving  sleep. 

Across  the  hall  from  the  O'Neils,  the  Flanagans 
were  having  a  "racket,"  this  being  their  term  for  the 
debauching  revelries  common  among  that  class.  Mrs. 
Flanagan  had  gained  a  trump  and  she  truly  was  proud. 
And  to  add  strength  to  her  honors,  she  carried  this 
day's  festival  to  the  height  of  fashion. 

The  general  feeling  in  the  neighborhood  naturally 
ran  for  Mrs.  Flanagan.  She  was  of  the  general  cast 
and  was  looked  upon  in  their  standard  as  a  decent 

25 


Little 


woman.  New  arrivals  to  their  section  must  step  down 
to  their  level  before  such  can  become  generally  popu 
lar  and  be  permitted  to  live  in  peace.  The  inherent 
finer  qualities  of  the  O'Neils  could  not  be  lowered  to 
mingle  with  these  coarser  natures,  and  thus  they  had 
been  constantly  annoyed.  More  than  once  had  Mrs. 
Flanagan  attempted  to  provoke  them  to  quarrel.  That 
she  had  gained  her  contention  this  day  and  in  so  man 
ifest  a  manner  that  her  enemy  had  been  cast  into  jail, 
gave  her  an  enviable  social  prominence  among  her 
pals. 

As  soon  as  the  patrol  had  carried  off  the  unfortu 
nate  innocent  woman,  the  Flanagans  sent  out  word  to 
their  "cronies"  around  the  ward  to  join  them  in  a 
"racket."  As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  Flanagans  held  a 
revelry  on  every  Sunday.  It  always  had  been  their 
custom  after  mass  to  begin  to  "rush  the  can,"  and  with 
the  willing  aid  of  their  neighbors  carried  on  until  long 
after  midnight  one  continuous  round  of  beer  drinking 
and  horseplay.  This  evening's  festival,  in  conse 
quence  of  the  day's  happenings,  was  to  break  the 
record.  They  had  laid  in  a  full  keg  of  beer,  and  any 
of  their  clan  were  welcomed. 

These  people,  regardless  of  scale  of  wages  or 
amount  earned,  are  "broke"  in  the  beginning  of  each 
week.  In  order  to  maintain  existence  they  commence 
on  Monday,  and  on  each  day  following  till  Saturday, 
to  despoil  their  homes  of  all  chattels  from  that  of 
wearing  apparel  to  kerosene  lamps  and  holy  pictures, 
leaving  them  in  pawn  to  be  redeemed  on  the  nearest 
pay-day. 

To  all  of  the  set  word  had  been  sent  that  Mrs.  Flan 
agan  had  upheld  the  prestige  of  the  ward  by  showing 
newcomers  that  they  must  act  according  to  estab 
lished  customs  or  leave  the  ward,  and  soon  friends 
began  to  pour  in  and  offer  congratulations. 

26 


little  Sufferers! 


The  few  living  rooms  of  the  Flanagans  were  packed 
with  visitors,  and  some  of  the  near  neighbors  brought 
their  own  chairs.  Girls  were  held  upon  the  laps  of 
young  men,  and  seats  for  the  elders  were  provided 
from  soap  boxes,  the  edges  of  beds  or  window  sills. 
The  keg  of  beer  was  placed  upon  the  kitchen  table, 
and  the  beer  was  drawn  into  all  kinds  of  vessels. 
Now  and  then,  between  their  drinks,  some  of  the 
younger  members  would  play  a  jig  upon  a  harmonica, 
and  the  gay  ones  would  stamp  upon  the  floor  to  follow 
the  tune.  There  was  no  dancing  room,  but  there  was 
merriment  enough. 

While  the  O'Neils  upon  this  day  were  suffering  a 
torture  of  existence,  the  Flanagans  were  having  "the 
time  of  their  lives,"  and  between  draughts  of  beer 
they  would  comment  the  difficulty,  but  the  praise  was 
all  centred  upon  Mrs.  Flanagan  who  accepted  it  with 
satisfaction.  With  mingled  joy  and  satisfaction,  she 
would  remark :  "Sure,  a  stuck-up  woman  with  her 
braided  kids  have  no  business  ter  live  'mong  daicen' 
people." 

After  some  little  discourse  continuing  along  this  line, 
one  of  her  pals  proposed:  "I  have  the  foinest  schem' 
in  the  country  that'll  settle  them  stuck-up  O'Neils  for 
the  rest  o'  their  days,  and  let's  work  quick." 

"That's  a  go,"  responded  all  in  glee. 

"We'll  send  word  ter  the  Juvenile  System  that  three 
children  are  left  alone  and  their  parents  are  in  the 
lock-up  fer  drunkenness  and  disturbin'  the  pace " 

"Sure,  sure ,  sure,  Mrs.  Merlone ;  ye'r  alright/' 
cheered  all. 

"I'll  let  me  brother  Mike  go  an'  phone  up  the  Sys 
tem  and  tell'm  the  three  little  ones  are  alone." 

As  a  tribute  to  this  excellent  suggestion,  each  had 
a  refilling  from  the  diminishing  contents  of  the  keg. 
"That's  a  good  way  ter  fix  them  parents  what  thinks 


Cfje  Little  Sufferer* 


themselves  more'n  us  ole  warders,"  agreed  Mrs. 
Flanagan.  "Sure,  an'  she  sid  my  Jimmy  spoiled  her 
kids  there's  none  finer  boy  then  moin  in  the  whole 
ward,"  she  concluded  boastfully. 

"The  Juvenile  System  closes  their  shop  at  six 
o'clock,  and  now  it  is  ten  minutes  off,  so  we  better 
make  the  job  quick,"  remarked  one  who  all  along  had 
sat  currying  love  with  a  couple  of  young  girls,  one 
of  them  being  his  betrothed.  The  speaker  was  Dan 
Connors,  better  known  as  Red  Hook  Dan. 

"Ye'er  all  right,  Dan,"  agreed  the  first  speaker.  "If 
we  want  the  System  ter  take  the  kids  it  must  be  this 
noight,  fer  ter-morro'  the  Judge  will  have  her  out  o' 
jail  and  she'll  fight  for  them.  Ye'r  mor'  edjercated  ner 
me  brother  Mike,  so  ye  better  spake  in  the  'phone, 
Dan." 

"Sure,  I  can  speak  in  the  'phone,"  responded  Dan, 
feeling  proud  of  being  looked  upon  as  educated.  "It'll 
but  take  me  three  minutes  to  get  the  'perceiver'  a-goin', 
and  that'll  finish  the  job,"  he  added,  emptying  his  ves 
sel  of  beer  and  preparing  for  the  street. 

Here  the  girl,  May  Thornton,  drew  him  towards  her 
and  whispered  into  his  ear,  upon  which  both  walked 
into  the  front  room.  Looking  straight  into  his  face 
she  said :  "If  you  have  any  love  for  me,  Dan,  don't  send 
for  the  System's  agents.  Those  poor  children  will 
never " 

"Ah,  forget  it !"  broke  off  Dan  impatiently.  "You're 
a  big  toad  bothering  yourself  about  some  little  brats." 
Then,  in  a  conciliating  tone,  he  added,  "I'm  trusted 
with  the  job  and  wouldn't  for  all  the  rags  in  the  ward 
go  back  on  my  word.  You'll  like  me  the  better  for  it," 
he  ended  in  little  self-assurance,  to  which  the  girl  re 
plied  that  he  would  see.  Upon  this  Dan  departed  to 
attend  his  mission. 

May  Thornton,  like  her  lover,  had  been  born  and 
28 


Little  Sufferers 


brought  up  in  Red  Hook  section.  He  was  twenty- 
three  years  and  she  was  twenty.  May  was  a  pretty 
little  blue-eyed  lass,  and  looked  upon  by  all  as  the  belle 
of  the  Erie  Basin  and  Red  Hook  Point  section.  Her 
father  had  died  while  May  was  a  child  of  six,  and  she 
now  worked  at  the  handkerchief  factory  at  South 
Brooklyn.  There  were,  besides  May,  several  brothers 
and' sisters,  all  of  them  aiding  their  widowed  mother  to 
keep  the  house  and  attend  to  household  duties.  The 
Thorntons  were  a  respectable  lot  of  poor  people,  and 
held  themselves  above  the  average  Flanagan  class ;  but 
through  Dan,  whom  the  girl  so  blindly  loved,  she  had 
of  late  been  frequently  brought  into  relation  with  this 
lower  element. 

Dan  Connors,  or  Red  Hook  Dan,  was  of  the  Flana 
gans'  set.  He  had  been  permitted  to  grow  up  without 
schooling  and  in  idleness,  and  even  among  the  worse 
element  he  was  looked  upon  as  a  bad  character.  Long 
before  he  was  old  enough  to  vote  he  would  lead  gangs 
of  repeaters  to  the  various  polling  places  and  be  of 
much  political  use  .to  whichever  party  required  him. 
Just  now  he  had  reached  a  stage  at  which  he  could 
qualify  for  the  police,  an  appointment  which  he,  owing 
to  the  merit  of  his  pull  and  his  influence  he  had  just 
received.  He  was  now  an  officer  on  probation,  and 
two  weeks  hence  would  be  awarded  the  regular  uni 
form  of  patrolman. 

That  Dan  Connors  always  had  many  girl  admirers 
is  not  to  be  wondered  at.  He  was  well  -built,  stalwart 
and  strong,  and  a  bully  naturally  carries  considerable 
force  with  inexperienced  hearts.  Truly,  very  otten  the 
best  of  girls  fall  victims  to  this  sort  of  character. 
Very  often  this  trait  is  the  cause  that  many  a  good 
little  mother  is  pining  away  her  life  and  suffering  end 
less  torture.  It  is  easily  understood  that  May  Thorn 
ton  should  love  Dan,,  and  now  that  he  was  about  to  be- 

29 


Cbe  Little  Sufferers 


come  a  uniformed  officer,  she  reasonably  should  love 
him  the  more. 

Dan  soon  returned  from  the  telephone  booth,  fol 
lowed  by  Lankey  George,  a  man  of  odd  jobs.  Lankey 
found  a  seat  upon  an  upturned  bucket  and  Dan  joined 
his  sweetheart,  who  had  remained  dejectedly  seated  in 
the  same  place.  In  a  mildly  bullying  way  he  ap 
proached  her.  "Well,  aren't  you  over  your  grouch 
yet?" 

May  remained  in  same  position  and  gave  no  reply. 

Seating  himself  beside  her  Dan  reached  his  arms  to 
embrace  her,  but  she  removed  herself  and  looked  as 
though  she  were  offended.  "Ah,  you  only  want  to  be 
coaxed,"  he  sneered,  "and  you  can  bet  yer  rats  I  coax 
no  hairpin  when  I  needn't  go  further  un'  to  any  fac 
tory,  and  I'll  get  the  whole  bunch  pegging  to  get  at 
me.  And  two  weeks  from  now,  when  I  get  my  uni 
form,  the  whole  Point  will  want  to  marry  me." 

"But  I  will  never  marry  you,"  announced  May,  ris 
ing  and  entering  another  room. 

"Two  weeks  from  now,  when  you  see  me  in  my  uni 
form,  you'll  do  some  whining  for  this,  my  job  lots," 
returned  Red  Hook  Dan,  the  probation  officer,  with  a 
light  scorn  as  he  walked  into  the  kitchen.  There  he 
leaned  against  a  window-sill,  where  he  began  to  carry 
on  with  a  couple  of  Baltic  Street  belles. 

Dan  and  May  were  to  have  been  married  upon  his 
first  pay-day.  Of  course  all  their  girl  acquaintances 
looked  upon  it  as  a  lucky  catch  for  May,  and  naturally, 
in  consequence,  were  jealous  of  her. 

The  Flanagans'  festival  went  on  in  this  manner  of 
raw  carousing,  unharmonious  singing,  harmonica  play 
ing  and  stamping  upon  the  floor.  Their  keg  of  beer 
had  been  renewed  and  every  one  appeared  happy,  ex 
cept  May  Thornton,  who  gloomily  sat  in  the  corner  of 

30 


C6e  Little  Sufferers; 


the  adjoining  bedroom  with  her  cheeks  buried  in  her 
hands. 

Her  girl  friends,  envying  her  luck,  though  conceal 
ing  their  jealousy,  now  pretended  to  encourage  her. 
"Don't  have  the  blues  for  such  a  little  spat  as  that ;  it'll 
be  all  right  again  with  you  and  Dan.  Sure  he  thinks 
his  life  of  you,  but  he's  just  like  all  the  fellers — they 
want  to  use  their  rough  edges  on  us  girls  once  in  a 
while." 

"Yes,  indeed,  May,"  elucidated 'Lizzie  Tims,  a  War 
ren  Street  damsel.  "You're  beating  us  all  with  your 
good  catch.  Should  you  be  left  a  widow  the  city'll 
pension  you." 

Here  the  girls'  attention  was  drawn  to  the  kitchen, 
where  strong  words  and  argument  were  heard. 

Lankey  George  had  upbraided  Dan  for  sending  for 
the  Juvenile  System's  agent.  "Why,  ain't  the  poor  chil 
dren  and  the  parents  punished  enough  as  it  is,"  he 
exclaimed,  "without  breaking  up  their  home  ?  Nobody 
understands  the  ill  cause  and  effect  of  this  Children's 
Society  better  than  I  do.  That  Juvenile  System  is  the 
cause  of  my  misfortune.  It  robbed  me  of  my  children, 
it  broke  up  my  home  and  drove  my  wife  to  drink.  She 
is  now  dwindling  her  days  in  the  Kings  Park  Hospital, 
hopeless  and  demented.  It  brought  me  to  where  I  am 
to-day."  Here  Lankey's  voice  faltered  a  moment  in  at 
tempt  to  suppress  his  emotion,  and  the  tears  glided 
down  his  worn  face. 

"This  Juvenile  System  is  terrible,  really  it  is.  What 
he  says  is  all  true,  so  it  is,"  sadly  murmured  May 
Thornton  as  she  heard  part  of  George's  tale,  while 
Dan  jeered  him  with  taunting  slurs.  "I'll  forgive  a 
set  of  petticoats  to  soften  up  and  bale  out  dewdrops, 
but  it  ain't  for  a  man  to  show  tears  for  nothing,"  he 
said,  looking  contemptuously  at  Lankey.  "Anyway,  I 

31 


Little 


don't  see  why  a  feller  should  be  chicken-hearted  for 
these  little  brats  what  don't  belong  'round  here." 

Dan  Connors  was  of  a  quarrelsome  disposition,  and 
would  nag  at  any  one  not  agreeing  with  him,  and  was 
always  ready  for  a  fight.  While  under  the  influence 
of  intoxicants  this  disposition  was  even  more  pro 
nounced.  He  had  drunk  a  good  deal  of  beer  this  even 
ing,  and,  aided  by  his  growing  police  spirit,  it  urged 
him  on  to  emphasize  his  own  conviction. 

The  rest  of  the  Flanagan  party  remained  silent  while 
Lankey  and  Dan  quarreled,  though  most  of  them,  of 
course,  agreed  with  Dan.  He  was  both  feared  and  ad 
mired,  and  his  promotion  from  civilian  to  police 
weighed  vastly  in  their  respect. 

Lankey  George,  however,  made  no  reply  to  Dan's 
sarcasm.  He  still  sat  as  though  absorbed  in  deep 
thought. 

"I  never  took  you  for  much  of  a  man,  anyhow,"  con 
tinued  Dan  in-  a  quarrelsome  tone.  "I  'phoned  for  the 
System's  man,  and  he's  going  to  take  away  the  kids  as 
sure  as  I'm  going  to  trot  in  my  uniform  two  weeks 
from  now.  And  if  you  don't  mind  your  own  business 
I'll  show  you  what  kind  of  a  hitting  cop  I'll  make.  If 
you  wasn't  an'  ole  man  I  would  throw  you  down  the 
two  flights  of  stairs  right  now,"  he  ended,  having 
worked  himself  into  a  fighting  mood. 

"Well,  I  fear  you'll  never  wear  your  uniform,  then," 
coolly  replied  Lankey  with  a  sharp  gleam  in  his  eyes, 
and  arose.  "As  to  being  a  hitting  cop,  you  are,  in  my 
opinion,  only  a  stuffed  cop.  The  agents  of  the  Juvenile 
System  will  never  kidnap  these  children  so  long  as  I 
have  a  spark  of  life.  And  if  I  am  to  go  down  two 
flights  of  stairs,  you'll  follow  me.  A  man  who  has 
no  regards  for  women  and  children,  has  no  regards  for 
age,  so  you  need  not  consider  my  age,"  he  finished  in 
so  strong  a  note  of  defiance  that  it  momentarily 

32 


Cbe  Little  Sufferers 


thwarted  the  bully  probation  officer,  and  partly  awak 
ened  the  Flanagans  and  their  guest  out  of  their  maud 
lin  state. 

Fights  and  squabbles  were  customary,  and  as  much  a 
part  of  these  poor  people's  festivals  as  were  the  re 
freshments.  It  was  only  natural  that  such  outbreaks 
became  free,  rough-and-tumble  until  one  or  the  other 
was  beaten.  Of  course  there  were  none  among  them 
who  would  not  have  staked  their  all  upon  Dan.  George 
was  a  good  deal  older,  and,  though  apparently  strong 
and  wiry,  he  could  not  be  looked  upon  as  a  match  for 
Dan,  who  was  in  his  best  (condition,  and  always  in 
practice. 

Of  Lankey  George  very  little  was  known;  but  he 
was  about  thirty-six  years  of  age,  and  had  lived  in 
the  ward  about  twelve  years.  He  did  not  mix  greatly 
with  people,  and  was  not  known  to  have  relatives  or 
friends.  His  acquaintance  with  the  Flanagans  had 
been  brought  about  through  some  little  favor  and  as 
sistance  which  he  received  a  couple  of  years  back 
while  laid  up  with  an  attack  of  la  grippe.  George  had 
a  furnished  room  next  door,  but  out  of  courtesy  he 
would  pay  an  occasional  visit  to  the  Flanagans.  While 
not  a  heavy  drinker,  he  enjoyed  his  beer.  Upon  close 
observation  he  showed  a  trend  of  intelligence,  and  ap 
peared  of  better  stamp  than  the  average  warder;  and 
he  always  carried  an  engaging  air  of  mystery  about 
him. 

However,  Red  Hook  Dan  needed  no  further  invita 
tion  for  an  attack.  Measuring  up  Lankey,  with  an  ex 
pressive  contempt,  Dan  swung  his  left  arm,  which,  to 
the  astonishment  of  all,  was  neatly  parried  by  Lankey. 
With  the  fleetness  of  a  prize-ring  expert,  the  older 
man  returned  a  heavy  blow,  which  landed  straight 
upon  his  opponent's  jaw,  and  drew  blood.  Dan  became 
furious  by  meeting  so  sudden  and  unexpected  a  re- 

33 


€&e  Little  Sufferers! 


pulse,  and  rushed  upon  Lankey,  who  here  showed  the 
agility  of  a  cat  and  equal  cleverness,  and  besides  proved 
himself  a  hard  hitter. 

The  Flanagans'  guests  crowded  into  a  corner  and 
close  to  the  wall  to  give  room.  In  the  tumult  chairs 
were  upset,  the  partly  rilled  keg  of  beer  was  knocked 
off  the  table  and  rolled  into  the  adjoining  room,  while 
the  table  became  tilted  upon  its  end. 

It  was  a  lively  fight,  but  purely  without  prize-ring 
rules.  Dan  was  severely  overexcited  from  disappoint 
ment,  and  much  the  aggressor,  but  without  real  ef 
fective  tactics,  while  Lankey  showed  more  coolness  and 
good  judgment,  and  throughout  the  scuffle  maintained 
and  used  his  strength  to  the  best  purpose. 

The  Flanagans'  cronies  had  entirely  sobered  up  by 
surprise  of  the  apparent  outcome.  A  moment  ago  all 
would  have  laid  down  their  lives  on  the  certainty  that 
Red  Hook  Dan  would  have  finished  George  in  a  single 
round,  and  now,  as  it  was,  their  champion  was  receiv 
ing  blow  after  blow  and  gasping  for  wind.  There  was 
barely  a  scratch  upon  Lankey,  but  Dan  was  all  cut,  and 
his  left  eye  had  been  discolored  and  closed. 

In  his  disappointment  of  beating  Lankey  by  fair 
means,  Dan  now  picked  up  a  heavy  bowl  from  the 
floor  and,  with  a  wild  curse,  hurled  it  at  Lankey,  who 
quickly  dodged.  The  vessel  made  its  mark  in  the 
(centre  of  a  large  holy  picture  adorning  the  wall  above 
the  mantlepiece.  The  force  scattered  the  glass  and 
pierced  the  cloth,  throwing  the  picture  off  the  hook,  so 
that  it  fell  in  a  heap  upon  the  floor  back  of  the  stove. 

Upon  this  arose  a  great  commotion.  "Oh !  Oh ! 
Oh!  The  Virgin's  picture!"  loudly  screamed  Mrs. 
Flanagan,  with  a  quick  flow  of  ready  tears  upon  per 
ceiving  the  damage  to  her  idol.  She  was  joined  in 
loud  cries  of  sympathy  from  the  other  women. 

While  Mrs.  Flanagan  cried  sins  upon  their  souls,  the 

34 


Cfje  Little 


combatants  fought  on.  Lankey  George,  for  the  first 
time,  now  appeared  to  make  real  use  of  his  saved  en 
ergy.  Swiftly  he  drew  Dan  out  into  the  hall,  tilted 
him  over  the  baluster  in  order  to  throw  him  down 
stairs.  Dan  clung  on  to  him  in  desperation,  and  the 
pair  landed  at  the  second  floor. 

Dan  was  biting  and  kicking,  and  it  was  now  plainly 
in  Lankey's  mind  to  have  his  opponent  upon  the  street 
and  in  a  freer  scuffle,  so  he  managed  to  whirl  Dan  over 
the  baluster  and  clear  himself  of  his  hold.  Into  the 
lower  hall  rolled  the  probation  officer,  Dan  Connors, 
much  bruised,  and  with  his  left  shoulder-blade  dis 
located. 

The  tumult  and  noise  had  aroused  the  remaining 
tenants,  and  also  crowds  from  without  the  street.  How 
ever,  as  Dan  lay  there  helpless,  he  sorely  needed  attend 
ance.  Some  bystander  immediately  telephoned  for  an 
ambulance,  and  in  a  little  while  an  ambulance  and  a 
police  patrol  rattled  up. 

Red  Hook  Dan  was  removed  to  the  hospital,  and, 
of  course,  Lankey  George,  in  order  to  avoid  arrest, 
had,  for  the  moment,  to  betake  himself  to  some  other 
quarter,  where  he  stayed  until  things  had  quieted  down. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE  SYSTEM'S  AGENTS. 

Officers  O'Sullivan  and  Jack  reached  this  lower  sec 
tion  just  as  the  ambulance  swung  up  into  Douglass 
Street  toward  the  precinct  station. 

"I  wonder  what  can  be  the  trouble,"  called  Jack  to 
his  brother  officer. 

"I  'pose  it's  more  ov  the  junk  loike  them  folks  we 
have  in  the  lock-up.  True  ter  me  life,  Jack,  them  folks 

35 


Little  Sufferers; 


in  better  rags  are  all  the  time  stirrin'  a  fuss  and  gittin' 
themselves  and  us  inter  trouble.  They  think  they're 
more'nd  us  cops.  If  they'd  mind  their  own  business 
and  lave  the  police  run  things,  as  we  find  our  duty  and 
we're  paid  ter  do,  there  would  be  less  jails  and  perlice 
shake-ups,"  philosophically  scored  intelligent  Officer 
O'Sullivan. 

Officer  Jack  Stevenson,  far  superior  in  intellect,  gave 
no  reply  to  this  comment  upon  police  requirements,  for 
though  he  had  to  take  sides  with  all  police  injustices, 
he  did  so  because  the  rules  of  the  department  demanded 
it.  He  was  an  American  born;  of  old  New  England 
stock,  and  had  sprung  from  an  industrious,  hardy 
people. 

The  two  men  quickly  directed  themselves  towards 
where  the  ambulance  had  called,  which  proved  to  be  at 
Flanagan's.  The'  crowd  had  thinned  considerably,  but 
as  the  officers  were  on  a  more  sacred  mission  than  to 
hunt  up  the  cause  of  this  disturbance,  they  proceeded 
to  build  evidence. 

As  O'Sullivan  turned  to  go  in  towards  the  Flana 
gans'  apartment  Officer  Jack  said :  "A  teamster  school 
chum  of  mine  lives  down  in  Union  Street;  while  you 
attend  to  your  affair,  I'll  go  and  see  if  some  of  his 
women  folks  won't  look  after  these  unfortunate  little 
children  till  morning.  If  I  didn't  live  up  in  West 
Farms,  where  I  was  on  duty  till  I  was  shifted  to  South 
Brooklyn,  I'd  have  them  to  my  home  to  stay  over 
night." 

"Say,  Jack,  I  ain't  your  superior,  but  if  you'll  take  a 
solid  advice,  you  lave  them  kids  fare  their  own  fate," 
answered  O'Sullivan. 

"Why,  man,  for  mercies'  sake,  let  us  not  permit 
that !"  said  Jack  reproachfully.  "Should  these  unfortu 
nate  children  be  removed  by  the  Juvenile  System  it 
would  be  a  cruel  outrage.  You  know  as  well  as  I  do 

36 


C6e  Little 


that  once  within  the  claws  of  that  Human  Hawk  Sys 
tem  it  means  child  servitude  at  the  Hasting  Hills,  or 
perhaps  upon  some  Western  farm  for  these  innocent 
ones,  and  it  will  break  their  poor  mother's  heart " 

"I  agree  with  you  on  all  that,"  broke  in  O'Sullivan ; 
"but  I  ain't  goin'  to  take  no  chances  of  losin'  my  shield 
for  the  sake  of  any  kids  what's  nothing  to  me.  You 
know  the  Juvenile  System  has  more  pull  an'  power'nd 
half  of  the  judges  in  the  country,  and  they'd  mighty 
quick  git  us  off  the  force  if  we  wouldn't  work  ter  their 
loiken.  But  you  go  ahead  and  do  as  you  think  best ; 
I  shan't  work  against  you  nohow,  so  long  I  kin  kape 
meself  clear,"  ended  he,  and  turned  towards  the  stair 
way. 

At  the  outer  door  Officer  Jack  was  met  by  a  tall, 
neatly  dressed  and  slightly  stooped  elderly  man,  with 
hard-set  features,  and  dull-gray  eyes.  The  incomer 
did  not  recognize  the  officer  who  was  garbed  as  a 
civilian,  and  thus  accosted  him,  "Do  you  live  in  this 
house  ?" 

"No,  sir,  upon  what  grounds  do  you  ask  me?"  re 
turned  Officer  Jack,  who  suspected  the  stranger's  er 
rand. 

Here  the  man  stepped  back,  compared  a  note  with 
the  street  number  and,  as  he  passed  by  the  officer,  he 
said,  "Thank  you,  I  won't  need  your  assistance,"  upon 
which  he  walked  up  the  two  dark  flights  of  stairs, 
reaching  the  top  floor,  upon  which  lived  the  Flanagans 
and  the  O'Neils.  Their  apartments  were  divided  off  by 
a  centre  hall. 

Officer  Jack  turned  and  followed  closely,  halting 
back  of  him  on  the  upper  landing.  The  door  leading 
from  the  hall  to  Flanagan's  apartment  stood  three- 
quarters  open.  Officer  O'Sullivan,  who  had  preceded 
them  a  couple  of  minutes,  was  sitting  on  the  edge  of 
the  stove  with  a  cup  partly  filled  with  beer  in  his  hands, 

37 


Little  Sufferers; 


listening  to  Mrs.  Flanagan,  who,  with  moist  eyes,  sat 
complaining  of  the  misfortune  which  had  befallen  her 
holy  picture.  "Sure,  I  could  always  borrow  a  dollar 
upon  it  at  McSheeney's  to  buy  vettels,  and  now  it  ain't 
worth  a  cint." 

The  tall,  lean  stranger  walked  into  the  open  door 
without  announcement.  His  dull-gray  eyes  lit  up  and 
twinkled  as  he  saw  the  disorderly  apartment  and  no 
ticed  a  couple  of  the  Flanagan  children  lying  asleep 
upon  the  floor  in  the  corner  between  the  coal  box  and 
a  dish  closet.  The  biggest  boy,  Jimmy,  who  was  partly 
the  cause  of  this  day's  tragic  occurrences,  sat  beneath 
the  table,  smoking  a  cigarette. 

"I  guess  I'm  in  the  right  place,"  announced  the 
stranger,  slowly  moving  towards  the  children.  "I  am 
an  agent  from  the  Juvenile  System,  and  I  received  a 
telephone  message  to  call  here  for  some  children " 

"Oh,  mercy !"  broke  off  Mrs.  Flanagan  with  a  loud 
screech  which  could  be  heard  for  a  half  block.  Fol 
lowed  by  a  couple  of  pals,  she  rushed  to  where  her 
children  lay  asleep,  picked  them  up  and  hurried  into 
the  front  room,  where  she  hid  them  away  in  a  clothes 
closet.  Little  Jimmy,  much  frightened,  dropped  his 
cigarette  and  crawled  back  of  a  chair,  upon  which  sat 
a  spooning  young  couple. 

Mr.  Flanagan,  who  only  spoke  when  his  wife  was 
not  present  to  lead,  said :  "You  made  a  mistake  here,  all 
right." 

"Sure  yer  did;  I'll  vouch  fer  these  people,"  added 
Officer  O'Sullivan  in  a  tone  of  authority,  raising  him 
self  from  his  sitting  position.  "These  people  are  the 
finest  in  the  ward,  and  are  only  havin'  a  little  sociability 
of  their  own  this  noight " 

This  little  incident  somewhat  amused  Officer  Jack, 
who  stood  in  the  doorway  and  viewed  the  consterna 
tion  which  the  Agent  had  caused.  He  did  not  directly 

38 


Little  §>ufferer0 


wish  the  Flanagans'  children  to  be  carried  away  from 
a  bad  home  to  something  worse,  but  at  least  he  was 
certain  that  the  O'Neil  children  were  in  care  of  better 
parents. 

Mrs.  Flanagan,  in  her  intense  fear  that  the  Agent 
would  follow  her  and  take  her  children  by  force,  with 
her  women  friends,  closed  and  barricaded  the  door  and 
sat  trembling  within,  awaiting  the  departure  of  the 
Agent.  The  mere  mention  of  the  Juvenile  System  will 
throw  the  average  poor  mother  into  hysterics,  and  very 
often  when  one  of  its  Agents  appear  upon  the  threshold 
a  weak  mother  will  sink  into  a  swoon  and  youngsters, 
like  chicks  before  a  hawk,  will  creep  underneath  beds 
and  bureaus  and  hide  away  in  the  furthest  and  darkest 
corners.  No  "Boogy  man"  scares  a  child  as  does  the 
mention  of  the  Juvenile  System.  Now  after  a  moment 
of  speculation  the  Agent  viewed  O'Sullivan  and  re 
marked,  "You  appear  to  be  a  police  officer,  are  you 
not?" 

Of  course  O'Sullivan  felt  proud  to  be  so  identified 
without  his  uniform,  and  answered  impressively,  "Ye 
are  sure  ter  that,  sir.  I'm  a  regular  appointed  officer," 
he  announced. 

"Well,  I'm  a  representative  of  the  Juvenile  System," 
showing  his  badge.  "We  are  empowered  to  call  upon 
your  department  upon  any  occasion  we  may  choose  in 
aiding  our  system.  I  therefore  want  to  know  and  de 
mand  the  arrest  of  the  ones  among  these  people  who 
have  wilfully  sent  a  false  message  to  our  Humani 
tarian  System  and  thus  brought  me  on  a  fool's  errand." 

"Ye  are  sure  ter  that,  Mr.  Agent,"  replied  Officer 
O'Sullivan.  "We  are  instructed  ter  assist  yer  upon 
call,  and  I'll  do  me  duty  if  ye'll  tell  me  who  to  lock 
up." 

Here  the  Agent  reflected  a  moment,  fumbled  in  his 
vest  pocket  and  drew  out  a  scrap  of  paper,  and  in  a 

39 


Little 


modified  tone  remarked:  "Oh,  that's  so,  I  am  looking 
for  the  O'Neil  children,  whose  parents  are  in  the  lock 
up  for  drunkenness." 

Of  course  all  the  party  knew  it,  but  none  had  felt  a 
desire  to  acquaint  the  Agent  thereof.  Officer  O'Sulli- 
van  would  rather  not  have  been  confronted  so  close 
with  the  question.  He  had  noticed  his  brother  officer's 
motion  of  silence  upon  the  matter,  but,  on  the  other 
hand,  he  feared  to  offend  the  Juvenile  System.  He 
would  have  preferred  to  deceive  his  own  chief,  the 
commissioner,  than  the  power  behind  this  Humani 
tarian  System.  "Ter  be  sure,  the  O'Neils  are  in  the 
lock-up,  and  their  guilt  will  be  settled  by  the  Magis 
trate  in  the  mornin',"  answered  the  officer  evasively. 

"The  Agent  meant  the  children  across  the  hall," 
here  innocently  announced  a  little  lass  among  the 
party. 

Upon  this  information  the  Agent  passed  Jack  and 
crossed  the  hall  to  the  O'Neils'  room.  Turning  the 
knob  of  the  door  he  found  it  locked.  He  gave  a  few 
loud  raps,  but  received  no  reply. 

"Some  kind  neighbor  no  doubt  has  taken  the  children 
in  charge  till  their  parents'  release,"  ventured  Officer 
Jack,  with  a  view  to  discourage  the  Agent's  further 
activity. 

Manifestly  the  Agent  could  not  afford  to  leave  the 
premises  without  being  fully  assured  that  the  ones  he 
sought  were  not  there.  Now,  to  assure  himself,  he  bent 
forward  and  peeped  through  the  keyhole  and  breath 
lessly  listened,  after  which  he  also  tried  to  force  open 
the  door. 

Upon  this  Jack  jumped  forward,  and  with  a  firm 
hand  clasped  him  upon  the  shoulder  as  he  said  firmly : 
"Do  not  step  beyond  your  authority;  you  will  get  your 
self  into  trouble " 

"Authority?      Trouble?     What    are    you    talking 

40 


Cf)e  Little  @>ufferer0 


about?  Who  are  you?  Here,  lock  that  man  up  for 
interfering  with  our  System's  right,"  he  sharply  de 
manded  of  Officer  O'Sullivan. 

"Here,  don't  talk  so  fast,  old  man,  or  I  will  lock  you 
up,"  now  exclaimed  Jack  in  a  serious  tone. 

The  Agent  jumped  back  and  demanded,  "Are  you  an 
officer  ?  Show  me  your  shield." 

Jack  promptly  complied,  upon  which  the  Agent  be 
gan  to  explain  his  rights  and  authorities,  which  he  did 
not  conceal,  superseded  those  of  any  police  power  or 
judge  of  the  land. 

"We  need  no  warrant.  We  can  simply  break  into 
any  house  upon  our  suspicion  of  certain  conditions  ex 
isting  therein." 

"This  has  been  all  true  to  your  System,"  replied  Of 
ficer  Jack  hotly,  "the  private  corporation  which  you 
represent  has  been  granted  privileges  which  all  work 
against  the  poor,  defenceless  class.  The  privileges  you 
there  exercise  are  contrary  to  the  very  constitution  of 
our  land.  Your  authority  and  right  would  get  a  set 
back  were  you  to  attack  and  practise  your  method 
upon  a  class  with  money  to  defend  themselves." 

"If  you  prevent  me  or  interfere  with  my  duties,  I 
shall  prefer  charges  against  you  before  the  Commis 
sioner,"  threatened  the  Agent. 

"I  repeat,  I'll  not  permit  you  to  break  into  homes 
where  doors  are  locked  and  bolted,  unless  you  have 
stronger  authority  to  act  from,"  firmly  replied  Officer 
Jack.  "If  you  make  another  attempt  to  push  in  the 
door  I  will  lock  you  up." 

The  System's  Agent  understood  fully  the  power  and 
position  which  the  System  he  represented  held.  Turn 
ing  towards  Officer  O'Sullivan  he  said :  "As  a  police 
officer,  I  demand  your  protection  in  carrying  out  my 
rights.  Whether  it  be  your  brother  officer  or  not,"  he 
added,  pointing  at  Jack,  "is  of  no  concern  if  he  hinders 


Little  Sufferers; 


me  from  entering  that  apartment.  It  is  upon  you  to 
lock  him  up  and  I'll  follow  along  to  the  station  house 
and  make  a  complaint  against  him." 

Poor  Officer  O'Sullivan  had  been  two  years  on  the 
police  force,  and  in  all  but  seven  years  in  this 
country,  so  naturally  he  felt  himself  in  a  dilemma.  He 
feared  the  Juvenile  System,  but  in  his  short  experience 
on  the  force  he  had  never  been  called  upon  to  lock  up 
one  of  his  own  class.  Of  course,  with  an  ordinary  citi 
zen,  it  would  have  been  entirely  different.  He  realized 
that  his  brother  officer  was  determined,  and  he  felt 
that  an  attempt  by  him  to  lock  him  up  would  meet 
with  failure,  as  Jack  was  without  doubt  the  abler  man 
and  had  an  equal  advantage  with  clubs  and  pistols. 
Deliberating  a  moment,  and  scratching  his  head,  he 
said:  "Sure,  this  is  new  law  ter  me.  If  you  will 
break  no  door,"  he  directed  the  Agent,  "till  I  go  to  the 
'phone  and  spake  to  the  Sergeant,  I'll  lave  it  ter  him." 

Here  Officer  O'Sullivan  prepared  to  go  to  the  near 
est  telephone  and  call  up  his  precinct  for  advice.  A 
slight  laugh  escaped  Officer  Jack;  but  he  said  no 
words. 

Officer  Jack  was  becoming  angry  with  the  obstinate 
Agent,  who  persisted  in  forcing  the  door.  A  slight 
scuffle  ensued,  and  the  door  into  O'Neil's  apartment 
flew  open.  Jack  lost  his  grip  as  the  door  yielded,  and 
this  caused  the  Agent  to  fall  full  length  upon  the  floor. 
Raising  himself  quickly,  he  ran  through  the  apartment, 
which  was  dimly  lighted  by  a  kerosene  lamp,  but  what 
was  not  his  disappointment  and  anger  upon  finding 
that  no  one  was  there. 

Officer  Jack  who  followed  close  upon  the  Agent  felt 
as  surprised  as  the  System's  man,  but  he  was  infinitely 
pleased  to  discover  that  the  children  were  removed 
out  of  the  System's  clutches  for  the  time  being,  at 
least 


Cfie  Little  Sufferer* 


Flanagan's  guests,  who  had  been  as  neutral  specta 
tors  throughout  the  altercation,  upon  learning  of  the 
disappearance  of  the  O'Neil  children,  also  felt  anxious 
to  learn  what  had  become  of  the  little  ones. 

"Oh,  God,  hive  mercy  on  the  poor  little  kids,  any 
how,"  now  begged  Mrs.  Flanagan,  who  had  ventured 
out  from  her  barricaded  door  and  felt  some  twinges 
of  conscience,  induced  by  her  own  threatened  predica 
ment  of  losing  her  own  children.  "Sure  enough,  the 
Juvenile  System  is  no  place  for  any  woman's  children, 
even  fer  the  O'Neils." 

However,  upon  finding  that  the  children  were  not 
anywhere  within  the  apartment,  the  Agent  began 
strongly  to  denounce  Jack  as  being  in  compact  with 
some  clique  to  foil  the  System,  and  he  threatened  to 
make  a  charge  against  him  before  the  Commissioner. 
Then  he  hastily  left  the  building,  much  to  the  relief  of 
all.  Immediately  the  Flanagans'  party  broke  up  for 
the  night,  the  gathering  having  the  record  for  excite 
ment  and  novelty  of  sensation. 


What  had  become  of  the  O'Neil  children  is  in  itself 
a  little  narrative.  When  the  ambulance  called  to  take 
away  injured  Red  Hook  Dan,  the  excitement  and  at 
tention  of  course  was  directed  towards  him  and  the  at 
tending  surgeon.  The  entire  Flanagan  party,  except 
ing  Mrs.  Flanagan  and  a  couple  of  her  pals,  had  fol 
lowed  them  out  into  the  street  and  mingled  with  the 
crowd  there  gathered. 

Lankey  George,  upon  his  victory,  sought  a  safer 
quarter.  On  his  way  to  escape,  it  flashed  through  his 
mind  to  carry  the  O'Neil  children  with  him.  He  fig 
ured  that  this  would  prove  an  opportune  moment  while 
everybody's  interest  was  momentarily  secured  to  the 
ambulance  call. 

Turning  back  into  the  dark  hall  and  ascending  one 

43 


Cbe  Little  Sufferers: 


flight  he  encountered  May  Thornton,  who,  in  the  dark 
ness,  he  barely  recognized.  She  stood  alone,  support 
ing  herself  against  the  baluster.  A  stress  of  sympathy 
possessed  George's  breast  as  he  noticed  little  May's 
dejection.  He  knew  that  Dan  and  she  were  lovers, 
and  he  suspected  that  the  girl  was  too  overcome  with 
grief  at  the  humiliation  of  her  lover  to  remove  from 
her  position. 

"I'm  very  sorry  for  you,  little  girl,"  he  said  sympa 
thetically,  resting  his  hand  gently  upon  her  shoulder. 
"I  was  kind  of  forced  to  do  it;  but  poor  Dan  will 
come  out  all  right,  and  it'll  make  him  a  better  man." 

"Don't  feel  sorry  for  me,  Lankey.  While  I  am  sorry 
for  Dan,  and  hope  he  will  come  out  all  right,  don't  let 
that  bother  you.  I  hope,  as  you,  that  he  will  be  a  bet 
ter  man  for  it,"  answered  May  quietly.  George  now 
proceeded  to  the  upper  floor,  whereupon  again  May 
exclaimed :  "Oh,  I  am  sorry  for  the  helpless  children 
upstairs,  and  if  I  could  I'd  love  to  prevent  the  Juvenile 
System  from  getting  hold  of  them." 

"Thank  you.  You  are  just  on  my  turn  of  mind,  May 
Thornton,"  responded  Lankey  George  as  he  turned 
back.  "I  need  a  good  little  girl  like  you  to  give  me 
a  hand.  My  plan  is  already  laid  out,  but  we  must  act 
quickly.  A  moment's  delay  might  mean  failure,"  he 
added,  as  he  took  May  by  the  hand  and  drew  her  with 
him.  Hurriedly,  and  on  tip  toes,  they  reached  the  up 
per  hall. 

The  door  leading  to  the  Flanagans'  apartment  stood 
ajar.  The  few  sympathizers  within  were  sobbing  and 
crying  blasphemy  upon  the  fighting  pair  who  had 
(caused  the  destruction  of  the  holy  picture,  and  so  no 
notice  was  paid  to  the  light  steps  without.  Thus,  un 
observed,  George  and  May  managed  to  enter  the 
O'Neils'  apartment.  Fortunately  the  key  was  stuck  in 
the  door — it  was  unlocked. 

44 


Cfje  Little 


A  glare  of  light  from  the  street  without  shone  in 
through  the  windows  and  showed  the  position  of  the 
sleeping  children,  still  clinging  to  each  other.  Lankey 
did  not  have  to  give  instruction  as  to  what  part  May 
was  to  take  in  the  abduction.  Gently  she  folded  her 
arms  about  the  peacefully  slumbering  trio  and  tenderly 
whispered,  "Children,  dear  children." 

The  unhappy  little  ones  broke  their  sound  sleep  with 
a  suddenness  mixed  with  fright  and  joy.  The  two 
larger  ones  cried  out:  "Oh,  mamma,  mamma, 
mamma !"  while  the  baby  in  the  darkness  fumbled  out 
and  reached  May's  neck,  crying  piteously  as  though  its 
little  heart  would  break. 

"Oh,  I'm  so  happy,  mamma,"  cried  little  Louise, 
casting  herself  weeping  into  the  lap  of  May  who  had 
bent  down  into  a  sitting  position.  Willie  threw  his 
arms  around  her  waist  and  wept.  "Mamma,  I'll  never 
smoke  cigarettes  again,  and  I'll  always  do  as  you  tell 
me,  and  always  be  a  good  boy." 

Lankey  stood  some  little  distance  away  unobserved! 
by  the  children.  As  he  saw  them  so  suddenly  awaken 
into  happiness  from  which  they  were  again  to  be  dis 
turbed  upon  finding  that  it  was  not  their  mother  to 
whom  they  so  fondly  clung,  the  tears  streamed  down 
his  cheeks.  May  Thornton  wept  bitterly,  too,  as  these 
little  ones  happily  clung  on  to  her  in  their  security. 

"Children,  children,  dear  children,  I  am  not  your 
mamma;  but  your  mamma  sent  me  to  bring  you  to 
her,"  gently  whispered  May,  caressing  them  all,  and 
kissing  the  baby  who  had  been  the  first  to  realize  that 
they  were  deceived.  The  two  larger  ones  in  a  tremor 
and  much  frightened  attempted  to  draw  away,  but 
May,  with  a  mother's  instinct,  gently  held  them  close. 
She  said  softly,  "Good  children,  do  not  fear  nor  worry, 
I'm  going  to  bring  you  all  to  your  mamma.  Surely  I 
am." 

45 


Cbe  Little  Sufferers 


"We  want  our  mamma,"  Willie  and  Louise  now  be 
gan  to  cry,  though  they  made  no  attempt  to  draw 
away  from  the  little  foster  mother  who  never  for  a 
moment  ceased  caressing  and  whispering  encourage 
ment  to  them.  The  baby  at  first  reached  out  to  return 
to  Louise,  but  it  was  finally  won  over  by  strong  caress 
ing  from  May. 

"Who  is  that  man?"  Willie  suddenly  cried  as  he  saw 
the  dark  figure  of  Lankey  George.  Louise  also  noticed 
it,  and  with  a  cry  of  fear  they  both  buried  themselves 
deeper  in  the  arms  of  May,  whom  a  moment  ago  they 
had  shunned. 

"He  is  with  me,  children,  to  help  to  bring  you  to 
mamma,"  she  said  hastily  in  a  soothing  tone,  and  with 
light  strokes  upon  their  cheeks. 

As  Lankey  noticed  that  he  had  frightened  them,  he 
quickly  said :  "You  are  all  right,  little  children ;  your 
mamma  wants  you.  Don't  be  afraid,"  he  ended  in 
good  cheer  as  he  drew  a  step  nearer. 

Willie  was  the  first  to  overcome  his  fright,  and  now 
lightly  inquired,  "Where  is  papa  ?" 

George  and  May  strongly  suspected  that  their  fa 
ther  was  incarcerated  with  their  mother,  and  both 
simultaneously  answered,  "Your  papa  is  with  your 
mamma ;  they  want  us  to  fetch  you  to  them." 

Their  childish  surprise  and  fear  quickly  vanished.  A 
few  more  reassuring  nods  and  words  made  them  feel 
that  they  were  in  good  hands  and  soon  thereupon  they 
were  calm  and  happy  to  go  to  join  their  parents. 

George  struck  a  match  and  lit  a  kerosene  lamp  which 
stood  upon  a  centre  table,  and  bade  May  prepare  the 
children  to  go  out.  Meanwhile  he  made  certain  that 
the  exit  was  clear.  Hurriedly  he  went  out  into  the 
hall,  where,  in  the  corner,  a  stairway  led  to  the  roof. 
This  was  covered  with  a  scuttle,  which  he  quickly  re- 

46 


Little  Sufferers 


moved  and  returned  ready  to  smuggle  the  children  out 
of  the  house. 

The  children  were  now  eager  to  go,  and  were  all 
the  while  talking  about  their  papa  and  mamma.  May 
Thornton  carried  the  baby  and  took  Louise  by  the 
arm,  while  George  led  Willie.  For  fear  that  some  one 
would  go  in  and  despoil  the  neat  and  well-furnished 
apartment,  Lankey  locked  the  door  and  stuck  the  key 
into  his  pocket. 

"Don't  make  any  noise  now,  youngsters.  We  want 
to  get  away  from  these  bad  people  to  your  mamma," 
whispered  May,  and  they,  without  a  sound,  stole  up 
the  stairway  to  the  roof.  After  they  crawled  through, 
Lankey  placed  the  scuttle  back  into  its  position,  and 
with  light  steps  they  hurried  over  the  roofs,  reaching 
|he  last  of  the  row  of  six  similar  houses. 

"I  know  a  family  in  this  house  who  will  be  all  right 
till  their  mother  comes,"  lightly  whispered  George  to 
May,  as  he  bent  forward  to  open  the  scuttle  of  that 
house  by  which  to  effect  an  entrance. 

"No,  no,  we  want  to  go  home  to  our  mamma  now !" 
cried  Willie,  who  partly  understood  it.  Louise  joined 
in  the  demand  while  the  baby  hugged  its  rescuer 
closer. 

With  a  look  at  George  May  said :  "We  will  take 
them  down  to  my  nice  little  house,  where  their  mamma 
told  us  to  bring  them." 

Lankey  George  understood  May,  and  in  like  tone 
responded:  "Sure  we  will."  They  walked  down  the 
couple  of  flights  of  stairs  and  out  into  the  street  and 
hurried  towards  Hoyt  Street,  where  they  halted  just 
long  enough  to  enter  a  confectionery  shop  to  buy  some 
candy.  Then  they  boarded  a  Hamilton  Avenue  car, 
and  in  less  than  twenty  minutes  reached  their  destina 
tion.  Thus,  instead  of  dropping  into  the  apartment  of 

47 


Little 


Lankey's  acquaintance  with  the  little  ones,  they  went 
on  towards  May's  home  unnoticed  by  any  one. 

Though  it  was  close  upon  midnight,  May  Thornton's 
mother  and  sisters  were  happy  to  be  disturbed  in  so 
good  a  cause,  and  proved  as  kind  and  good  companions 
as  little  May  herself.  Some  food  was  urged  upon  the 
children,  as  it  was  understood  that  they  had  had  noth 
ing  since  early  noon,  just  before  the  arrest  of  the 
mother. 

It  was  decided  that  Lankey  George  should  go  to  the 
Magistrate  Court  in  the  morning  and  give  any  aid  he 
could  to  the  children's  parents,  and  inform  them  that 
the  young  ones  were  in  good  care.  Meanwhile  May 
was  to  remain  with  the  little  ones  and  make  them 
happy  until  such  a  time  as  they  could  be  restored  to 
each  other. 

CHAPTER  V. 
IN  THE  MAGISTRATE'S  COURT. 

Lankey  George  arranged  to  be  in  the  Court  as  early 
as  eight  o'clock  the  next  morning.  The  regular  Court 
opening  at  these  petty  courts  is  set  for  8.30.  He  took 
a  seat  in  the  front  row  in  the  outer  circle,  which  is 
spaced  off  for  spectators.  Lankey  was  soon  followed 
by  scores  of  others,  who  filed  into  the  seats  as  they  en 
tered,  and  at  the  time  designated  for  proceedings  to  be 
gin,  the  stuffy  little  court  room  of  Brooklyn  swamps 
was  packed. 

The  spectators  were  an  odd  variety,  but  all  were 
from  the  poorer  class.  Youths  and  the  aged  parents 
and  relatives  and  friends  of  those  within  the  pen,  were 
there,  as  well  as  some  disinterested  ones  who,  in  their 
idle  moments,  felt  a  desire  to  witness  the  tragedies  and 
comedies  so  freely  offered. 

48 


€be  Little  %>ufferers 


The  walls  about  the  stuffy  court  were  lined  with  civ 
ilian-dressed  and  uniformed  officers,  who  were  detailed 
for  certain  purposes.  Within  the  railing  were  a  few 
regular  court  lawyers,  mostly  ravening  wolves,  who 
could  be  had  for  hire.  Agents  of  the  Juvenile  System 
were  also  on  hand,  for  these  are  as  busy  and  important 
in  all  of  our  poor  man's  courts  as  the  judges  them 
selves.  A  few  "Slum  Ladies"  were  also  on  hand. 
These  social  workers  aim  to  aid  human  progress, 
though  they  mistakenly  work  hand  in  hand  with  the 
Juvenile  System. 

Mondays  are  usually  heavy  calendar  days  in  these 
lower  courts.  The  offenders  brought  there  have  but 
one  day  in  a  week  in  which  to  indulge  their  appetites, 
and  this  fast  swells  the  list  upon  this  particular  day. 

As  the  dial  of  the  clock  showed  nine-forty-five  the 
Magistrate  appeared,  and  with  dignity  seated  himself. 
His  honor,  the  Judge,  was  a  personage  of  medium 
height,  slimly  built  and  of  declining  age.  He  wore  a 
heavy,  dark,  drooping  mustache,  and  did  not  look  over 
intelligent,  nor  well  read,  one  would  judge  him  to  be 
sitting  there  more  for  show  than  for  justice. 

Several  cases  were  handled  in  fast  routine;  the 
charges  were  mostly  drunkenness  and  disorderly  con 
duct.  Other  social  offenders  of  higher  crimes  were 
also  brought  there,  but  none  were  held  for  punishment 
who  were  lucky  enough  to  have  some  influential  friend 
to  arrange  matters.  Where  the  complaint  was  not  di 
rectly  backed  with  power,  it  was  apt  to  be  disregarded. 

The  O'Neils'  case  had  not  yet  reached  his  honor,  as 
these  friendless  people  had  no  one  to  hurry  it.  The  in 
fluential  ones,  of  whom  the  Magistrate  had  previously 
been  informed,  were  disposed  of  with  merely  a  cus 
tomary  rebuke. 

The  first  case  in  which  punishment  was  dealt  out  was 
the  one  preceding  that  of  Mrs.  Q'Neil.  This  offender 

49 


Little 


received  a  sentence  of  thirty  days  on  "the  Island"  for 
failing  to  pay  a  board  bill  to  the  Juvenile  System  for 
his  children.  The  indicted  man  claimed  that  this  was 
not  due  the  System,  as  it  had  taken  and  withheld  his 
children  without  particular  cause,  and  he  proclaimed 
his  own  ability  to  board  and  maintain  them  at  his  own 
home.  But  justice  must  yield  to  superior  rule,  and 
ithe  protesting  delinquent  was  detained  for  punishment. 

When  Mrs.  O'Neil's  case  appeared  she  was  desig 
nated  as  having  been  entered  as  an  unknown  intoxi 
cated  woman.  The  ordinary  habitual  "Pen"  fre 
quenter  hastily  responds  to  the  penkeeper's  call,  but  to 
Mrs.  O'Neil  the  ordeal  was  new.  Besides,  she  was 
weak,  humiliated  and  nervous.  Her  face  showed  deep 
worry  and  anguish.  "Here,  here,  here !  ole  gal,  git  a 
mov'  on  yo';  the  jedge  kin't  sit  her'  all  day  waitin'  for 
ye,"  roughly  declared  the  doorkeeper  as  he  stepped 
within  the  pen,  reaching  to  drag  her  out. 

"O — h,"  she  drew  with  a  piteous  cry  and  staggered. 
"Why  am  I  so  punished  ?  Where  is  my  husband  ?  And 
give  me  my  little  ones,"  she  sobbed. 

Another  officer  rushed  to  the  assistance  of  the  door 
man  and  aided  in  holding  the  fainting  woman  upon 
her  feet.  These  officers  of  less  intellect  and  of  rough 
manner  are  not  quick  to  feel  nor  to  perceive  real  suf 
fering;  their  daily  contact  with  brutality,  sins  and  de 
ceit  does  not  refine  nor  soften  their  hearts. 

"None  ov'  that  shoin'  ov'  and  kids  playin',  me  gal, 
we'v  used  ter  that.  The  jedge  will  lave  ye  go  iv  he 
sees  fit,"  remarked  the  penkeeper  in  light  sympathy  as 
with  his  brother  officer  he  dragged  her  limp  form 
through  the  door. 

That  Mrs.  O'Neil  was  not  shamming  soon  dawned 
upon  the  officers  in  whose  hands  she  was.  "Sure  this 
is  the  real  thing,"  whispered  the  one  to  the  other,  as 
they  heavily  brought  her  before  the  bar  and  were 

50 


Cfte  Little 


compelled  to  clasp  their  arms  around  her  waist  to 
maintain  her  in  an  upright  position. 

His  honor  measured  her  and  looked  up  kindly,  real 
izing  that  the  person  before  him  suffered  greatly.  He 
remained  silent  and  mildly  gazed  at  her,  permitting  her 
to  be  relieved  by  her  free  flood  of  tears. 

Police  officers,  clerks  and  attendants  whispered  to 
each  other  and  stepped  closer.  The  spectators  in  the 
outer  circle  arose  and  craned  their  necks.  All  felt  that 
this  woman  was  no  habitual  social  offender,  nor  was 
she  acquainted  with  prison  and  court  ordeals.  There 
was  a  momentary  stillness  as  of  the  grave,  which  was 
only  interrupted  by  the  faint  spasmodic  sounds  of  her 
violent  emotion. 

Lankey  George,  who  knew  the  O'Neils  only  from 
casual  description  given  by  the  Flanagans,  suspected 
this  unhappy  woman  to  be  Mrs.  O'Neil.  Lightly  he 
left  his  seat  and  entered  within  the  enclosure  where 
she  stood.  He  was  promptly  met  by  a  court  lawyer, 
who,  in  confidence,  offered  for  a  five  dollar  bill  to 
have  her  acquitted.  Disregarding  the  lawyer's  propo 
sition  with  a  glance  of  scorn,  he  walked  close  to  one  of 
the  officers  whose  embrace  held  the  tottering  woman. 

The  Magistrate  had  noticed  Lankey,  and  seemed 
glad  that  some  one  should  appear  for  the  woman's  re 
lief.  Officer  O'Sullivan  and  Jack  Stevenson  were  the 
complainants.  The  latter  looked  at  her  piteously,  but 
both  of  them  moved  nervously.  The  sergeant,  who 
had  feared  Stevenson's  attitude  to  the  force,  had  also 
come  to  court,  and  stood  a  little  distance  off,  con 
stantly  sending  strong  glances  to  Jack. 

The  complaint  had  been  drawn  up  in  customary 
form  at  the  precinct  house.  It  charged  an  unknown 
woman  with  being  intoxicated  and  disorderly.  The 
Magistrate  re-read  the  complaint.  Looking  first  at  the 
officers,  he  then  mildly  addressed  Mrs.  O'Neil  without 

51 


demanding  her  name :  "This  complaint  charges  you 
with " 

Here  he  halted,  leaned  back  and  combed  his  hair 
with  his  fingers.  Sending  a  reproachful  look  at  the  of 
ficers,  without  finishing  reading  aloud  the  charges 
which  appeared  against  her,  he  said :  "You  may  go 
home,  where  you  belong,  my  good  woman." 

"T-h-a-n-k  you,"  with  an  audible  sob,  answered  Mrs. 
O'Neil,  who  had  been  somewhat  relieved  by  her  tears. 
Raising  herself  from  the  officer's  support,  she  steadied 
herself  against  the  bar  and  in  faint  collected  voice  de 
manded  :  "Where  is  my  husband  ?"  Turning  her  head 
she  looked  around  disappointedly  as  she  cried  out: 
"Oh,  they  have  killed  him  !  My  husband  is  murdered ! 
I  saw  them  killing  him,"  she  ended  hysterically,  and 
fell,  grief-stricken,  into  a  sobbing.  Lankey  George 
managed  to  calm  her  by  strongly  pleading  for  the  sake 
of  her  little  children,  who  were  longing  and  crying  for 
her,  she  must  bear  up. 

At  once  there  arose  a  strong  commotion  within  the 
court-room  because  of  this  strong  accusation  of  the  ar 
raigned  woman,  which  all  knew  to  be  directed  against 
the  police  officers.  The  Magistrate  looked  surprised. 
Quickly  scanning  the  list  of  police  complaints  and 
finding  no  one  to  correspond  with  her  case,  he  de 
manded  of  the  officers:  "Where  is  this  woman's  hus 
band  ?  Why  don't  you  bring  him  ?" 

"He's  takin'  ter  the  hospital  a  little  while  ago, 
jedge,"  answered  Officer  O'Sullivan,  before  the  judge 
had  finished  his  query.  "But  sure  he'll  be  all  right  in 
a  day  or  two,  yer  honor." 

The  Magistrate  had  not  been  acquainted  with  the 
details  of  the  preceding  night  at  the  precinct,  nor  was 
it  within  his  jurisdiction  to  go  beyond  matters  com 
ing  before  him.  There  had  been  no  influence  here, 
either  way,  to  bear  upon  him.  He  was  free  to  coincide 

52 


C6e  JLfttle 


with  his  own  conscience,  and  naturally  he  sympathized 
with  the  injured  woman,  and  with  much  kindness  said : 
"I  cannot  help  you  now,  my  good  woman ;  but  after  he 
leaves  the  hospital,  which  the  officers  expect  he  will  in 
a  day  or  so,  he  will  be  brought  before  me,  and  you  may 
trust  to  me  that  I  will  send  him  home  to  you  as  quick 
as  I  can  express  the  words  of  release.  Now,  my  good 
woman,"  he  advised,  "go  home  to  your  children  and 
don't  weep  any  longer;  it  will  not  add  to  your 
strength."  ' 

The  Juvenile  System's  Agent  listened  to  this  case. 
Upon  hearing  of  children  at  home  and  the  husband  in 
the  hospital,  he  measured  up  the  fairly  well-dressed 
Mrs.  O'Neil,  and  began  to  take  business-like  notes. 
This  Humanitarian  System  cannot  afford  to  step  in 
and  care  for  children  where  the  conditions  of  home  and 
parents  are  shown  to  be  too  poverty-stricken.  The 
Agent's  conclusions  regarding  the  O'Neils  were  that 
their  system  could  safely  assure  guardianship  and 
maintain  these  children,  and  that  the  cost  of  their  sup 
port  would  be  easy  collectible.  Mrs.  O'Neil's  dejected 
spirit  therefore  caused  the  Juvenile  System's  agent  to 
be  correspondingly  joyful. 

Tom  Ryan,  a  fellow  worker,  who  had  called  at  the 
precinct  in  behalf  of  O'Neil,  with  the  superintendent 
of  the  Planet  Mill,  had  been  called  to  testify  to  O'Neil's 
good  character  and  give  all  the  aid  they  could.  Of 
course,  their  mission  was  at  an  end.  They  did  not 
know  Mrs.  O'Neil,  though  both  of  them  knew  Lankey 
George.  They  knew  George  to  be  a  decent  fellow,  but 
also  knew  that  he  never  carried  large  means  about 
him.  As  they  were  about  to  depart,  good-hearted  Tom 
Ryan  said,  "I  think  we  ought  to  provide  a  carriage  to 
take  the  poor  woman  home,  she  looks  worn  out."  Here 
he  fumbled  in  his  pocket  and  remarked:  "I  think  I 
have  enough " 

53 


C6e  Little  Sufferers? 


"You  keep  your  change,"  broke  in  the  superintend 
ent.  "You  work  too  hard  for  your  couple  of  dollars. 
I'll  pay  and  don't  say  a  word."  In  a  second  breath  he 
added:  "That  O'Neil  has  been  with  us  a  short  time, 
but  he's  one  of  the  best  fellows  we  ever  had,  and  I'll 
see  to  it  that  the  firm  pays  him  his  wages  while  he's 
in  the  hospital." 

The  little  O'Neil  children  had  awakened  as  early  as 
seven  o'clock  on  the  morning  after  their  arrival  at 
May  Thornton's.  Mother  Thornton  had  prepared 
some  cocoa  and  dainty  home-made  cake  which  had 
been  liberally  streaked  with  jam.  One  of  the  elder 
Thornton  boys,  before  going  to  his  work,  had  bought 
from  a  toy  store  around  the  corner  a  small  set  of  car 
penter's  tools  for  Willie  to  play  with,  and  May's  older 
sister  Katie  had  provided  Louise  with  a  set  of  kitchen 
utensils  including  a  set  of  dishes  and  a  little  stove. 
A  large  doll  which  would  emit  sounds  upon  touching 
it  brought  solace  to  the  baby. 

The  good  food  and  the  toys  caught  the  little  ones' 
interest  as  soon  as  they  were  awake.  Though  at  their 
first  break  of  sleep  they  had  asked  for  their  parents, 
the  inquiry  had  died  away  with  confusion  of  joy. 

Before  May  would  be  permitted  to  dress  the  baby 
she  had  to  consent  to  allow  it  to  play  a  while  with  the 
doll.  In  an  amateur,  motherly  way  it  fondly  put  the 
doll  asleep  and  was  loudly  delighted  where  upon 
squeezing  it,  it  squeaked  like  a  real  little  baby. 

The  process  of  getting  into  their  clothes  for  the  two 
older  ones,  too,  was  slow;  though  they  could  dress 
themselves,  they  had  no  time  to  do  so.  Willie  had  to 
try  his  saw  and  hammer  and  examine  his  tool  chest, 
while  little  Louise  wanted  to  set  her  miniature  table 
and  pretend  to  light  the  fire  in  her  stove.  It  was 
only  after  much  persuasion  that  they  found  time  to  eat 
their  cake  and  drink  their  cocoa. 

54 


Cfte  JLittle  Sufferers? 


Mother  Thornton  was  greatly  affected  so  suddenly 
to  see  these  little  ones  wafted  from  grief  to  happiness ; 
she  would  intermingle  tears  with  laughter  as  she  stud 
ied  their  light  spirits.  She  was  a  good  mother  herself, 
and  knew  the  nature  of  children,  but  never  before 
had  she  had  such  a  chance  to  study  it. 

May's  older  sister  was  a  forelady  in  the  American 
Manufacturing  Company  of  Brooklyn,  and  of  course 
had  to  be  at  her  work,  but  May  stayed  at  home.  She 
was  the  real  foster  mother,  and  could  not  remember 
ever  having  felt  so  happy.  The  temporary  care  had  been 
shared  with  May's  mother ;  both  would  join  in  amusing 
the  little  ones,  and  now  and  then  take  a  hand  in 
straightening  up  the  house  and  preparing  the  noon-day 
meal. 

As  the  parlor  clock  struck  ten  a  messenger  knocked 
upon  the  kitchen  door.  It  was  a  message  for  May 
from  Red  Hook  Dan,  in  which  he  begged  her  forgive 
ness  and  asked  her  to  call  and  see  him  at  the  hospital. 
He  ended  his  note  with  the  assertion  that  he  begun 
to  realize  that  May  was  made  of  the  right  "stuff." 

Of  course,  May  had  no  time  to  play  being  sentimen 
tal  with  big  folks.  She  always  had  loved  Dan  and 
felt  that  he  loved  her,  too,  but  her  mind  and  heart 
now  told  her  that  she  could  no  longer  love  him,  even 
in  his  uniform.  Upon  any  other  occasion  she  would 
have  hidden  the  note  from  her  mother  and  buried  it 
close  to  her  heart,  but  without  a  touch  of  feeling  she 
now  threw  it  upon  the  table  in  front  of  her  mother 
and,  with  a  faint  sigh,  remarked :  "I'm  sorry  for  poor 
Dan,  but  I  don't  love  him  any  more.  I  shudder  when 
I  think  of  the  cruel  look  in  his  eyes  as  I  pleaded  for 
these  children,  and  I  fear  that  he'll  never  make  a 
good " 

Here  she  halted.  Mother  Thornton  read  her 
thoughts  and  was  much  pleased  that  she  had  broken 

55 


C&e  little  Sufferer* 


away  from  Dan,  whom  she  as  a  mother  was  better 
able  to  judge.  She  said :  "It  is  no  use  trying  to  re 
form  a  man  if  he  has  not  the  qualities  in  him  to  make 
a  man.  No  ordinary  woman  can  make  him  so  with  a 
lasting  effect.  A  good  woman  may  improve  upon  a 
man  who  has  within  him  a  good  conscience  and  an 
appreciation  of  right,  but  we  can  never  inlay  char 
acter  in  man  where  there  is  nothing  to  build  upon. 
Dan  used  to  beat  his  mother  and  kick  his  father;  and 
a  man  who  will  beat  his  mother  will  beat  his  wife. 
Be  sure  of  that,  May." 

"Don't  fear,  mother,  I'll  never  marry  Dan,  even 
though  he  should  rise  to  police  commissioner,"  added 
on  May,  as  she  picked  up  one  of  the  baby's  shoes 
which  it  had  kicked  off. 

It  was  nearly  eleven  o'clock,  and,  without  a  mo 
ment's  intermission,  the  children  had  played  with 
their  toys  from  the  time  they  arose.  The  baby  had 
torn  off  an  arm  of  her  doll  and  had  shredded  its  little 
dress;  Louise  had  broken  three  of  her  plates,  and 
Willie  had  broken  his'  saw  on  Mrs.  Thornton's  kind 
ling  wood.  Though  they  had  been  awarded  much 
pleasure  the  first  overwhelming  joy  had  now  become 
thinned.  Baby  began  to  cling  less  to  her  doll  and  hang 
more  upon  May,  and  the  two  older  ones  also  showed 
less  interest  in  their  toys. 

Though  their  grief  did  not  bear  heavily  upon  them 
as  they  had  a  parental  care  which,  while  not  real, 
naturally  could  not  fail  to  convey  the  feeling  of  trust 
from  a  child.  A  kind  word  from  May  or  Mrs.  Thorn 
ton  would  soon  set  them  at  ease  again. 

"Oh,  Mamma !  Mamma !  Mamma !"  suddenly  cried 
Willie,  with  a  loud  start,  reaching  both  his  arms  out. 
From  the  window  he  had  perceived  a  carriage  halting 
in  front  of  the  entrance  and  had  recognized  the  mother 
who  alighted  with  the  help  of  Lankey. 

56 


Little  ^>uffeter0 


The  joyful  words  started  little  Louise  from  the 
floor,  overturning  dishes,  which  flew  scattering  about 
the  floor.  The  baby  uttered  a  few  light  cries  in  sym 
pathy  and  hugged  her  foster  mother  still  closer. 

The  scene  in  this  lower  hall  was  deeply  pathetic, 
though  blended  with  joy.  Their  mother,  sad  and 
weak,  was  touched  with  joy,  and  could  not  stand  upon 
her  feet.  She  rested  herself  upon  the  steps.  She 
sadly  reflected  upon  what  had  befallen  her  husband 
as  she  hugged  and  in  turn  was  embraced  and  kissed  by 
the  little  ones  who  clung  madly  to  her. 

Tears  rolled  down  the  cheeks  of  the  trio ;  from  hap 
piness,  disappointment,  and  sorrow  poor  Mrs. 
O'Neil's  frame  shook  with  emotion;  she  could  not 
utter  a  word.  Lankey  George  was  overcome,  also, 
and  tears  trickled  down  his  cheeks.  To  overcome  the 
effect,  he  turned  and  walked  down  the  lower  hall 
and  stood  a  moment  at  the  door  leading  to  the  court 
yard. 

May  had  brought  the  baby  down  to  receive  its  mam 
ma.  The  sight  so  affected  her  that  she  could  not  con 
trol  herself.  The  young  one  stretched  out  its  tiny 
arms,  and  gave  loud  cries  of  joy.  Mrs.  O'Neil,  much 
overcome  and  faint,  buried  her  head  in  the  little  cluster 
of  lovers  and  sobbingly  caressed  them. 

"Oh,  mamma,  come  up  and  see  the  nice  things  the 
lady  bought  for  me,"  broke  out  Louise  as  the  first 
tension  of  meeting  had  worn  off.  "Oh,  yes,  mamma, 
and  all  the  things  I've  got,"  joined  Willie,  beginning 
to  explain  in  detail  the  various  little  tools  and  their 
uses. 

The  baby  gladly  hopped  back  to  her  foster  mother, 
and  Lankey  returned  to  the  group  and  gently  helped 
Mrs.  O'Neil  upstairs. 

Naturally  the  poor  woman  was  exhausted ;  she  had 
not  taken  a  morsel  of  food  for  twenty-four  hours. 

57 


C&e  JLfttle  Sufferers; 


The  hard  prison  floor  with  the  other  cruel  ordeals, 
fears,  and  worries  was  sufficient  to  have  incapacitated 
even  a  stronger  woman;  but  she  was  brave  and  made 
strong  effort  to  control  herself.  Once  within  the 
room,  she  was  placed  in  a  rocking-chair,  and  was  soon 
cheered  by  her  happy  little  ones  and  her  kind  new 
friends.  But  now  and  again,  upon  thinking  of  her 
husband's  plight,  she  would  sink  into  sad  spells  which, 
however,  would  soon  be  dispelled  by  the  tumult 
and  light  hearts  of  her  little  ones.  Though,  of  course, 
they  longed  for  their  papa,  they  remained  measurably 
contented  with  their  mamma  and  the  good  people  in 
whose  hands  they  were. 

Mrs.  Thornton  quickly  prepared  a  cup  of  tea  and 
toast  for  Mrs.  O'Neil.  She  feared  to  offer  her  any 
thing  heavier  after  so  long  a  fast,  but  soon  after  gave 
her  some  mutton  broth  which  aided  much  to  strengthen 
the  weak  woman. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

THE  CRITICAL  DILEMMA  OF  LANKEY  GEORGE. 

Upon  his  early  rounds  the  turnkey  at  the  precinct 
house  had  been  attracted  by  loud  groanings  emanat 
ing  from  the  direction  of  O'Neil's  cell.  It  was  discov 
ered  that  the  unfortunate  man  was  suffering  from  a 
hemorrhage  and  lay  in  great  agony  upon  the  floor  of 
the  cell. 

The  large  measure  of  whiskey  which  on  the  early 
evening  had  been  poured  into  him,  had  temporarily 
revived  and  eased  him,  but  the  effect  of  the  beating 
had  told  upon  him  after  the  stimulant  had  ceased  to 
act.  The  concrete  flooring  upon  which  he  rested 
chilled  him  and  stiffened  his  limbs,  so,  at  an  early 

58 


Little  Sufferers 


hour,  in  a  precarious  state,  he  had  been  removed  to 
the  hospital. 

It  was  quite  natural  that  the  acting  captain  should 
feel  uneasy,  particularly  so,  as  upon  his  return  to  the 
station  house  from  court,  he  was  confronted  with  a 
special  message  from  headquarters  ordering  him  to 
bring  over  a  full  statement  of  the  facts  which  bore 
upon  the  case  of  the  man  now  lying  critically  ill  at  the 
hospital. 

What  the  sergeant  feared  most  of  all  was  that  it 
would  lead  to  a  general  investigation,  thus  depriving 
him  of  his  captaincy  for  the  present.  He  also  knew 
that  the  general  public  had  long  felt  disposed  to  re 
move  the  head  of  this  department,  and  was  looking 
for  grounds  to  work  upon.  Not  only  the  mayor  and 
the  governor  were  taking  a  hand  in  it,  but  the  Peo 
ple's  party,  a  new  political  organization,  was  using  the 
inefficiency  and  brutality  of  the  police  department  as 
campaign  material  for  coming  election. 

Thus,  after  a  brief  cogitation  while  walking  up  and 
down,  he  called  his  doorman  and  Officer  O'Sullivan 
into  his  private  room,  where  he  began:  "I  fear  we 
have  to  do  something  to  save  ourselves.  You  two 
officers  have  always  stuck  to  the  department  and  are 
good,  useful  men.  This  Jack  Stevenson  I  never  had 
much  use  for;  he's  one  of  them  proud  Yankees  better 
fitted  for  a  Bible  class  than  fer  the  force ;  therefore,  I've 
made  up  my  mind  to  shift  the  entire  blame  over  upon 
him,  and  I've  made  some  erasures  upon  the  blotter  and 
added  on  a  charge  against  him.  Besides,"  continued  he, 
"I  just  learned  that  there  has  this  mornin'  been  lodged 
a  complaint  with  the  commissioner  against  Jack  Stev 
enson  by  the  Juvenile  System.  He's  charged  with 
interferin'  with  the  System's  agent  in  performin'  his 
duty,  and  he  not  only  threw  impudence  and  slurs 
against  the  System,  but  threatened  to  arrest  its  agent. 

59 


Little 


Of  course,"  continued  he,  "any  sane  officer  should 
know  that  this  would  never  do.  This  System  has  a 
chartered  and  granted  right  to  act  as  it  sees  fit,  and 
naturally  a  patrolman  and  officer  of  the  law  should 
have  known  his  place  and  aided  the  System  instead 
of  hinderin'  it.  This  charge  alone  against  Jack  would 
get  him  off  the  force,  and  it's  our  good  luck  that  it 
should  happen  at  this  time,  as  he  now  will  be  afforded 
no  chance  at  all  at  his  trial  before  the  commissioner." 

Thus,  while  the  sergeant  and  his  officers  busied 
themselves  plotting  against  unfortunate  Officer  Steven 
son,  Lankey  George  and  the  Thorntons  were  as  busy 
easing  the  sufferings  of  poor  Mrs.  O'Neil.  May 
Thornton  had  asked  permission  from  her  employers 
to  stay  away  from  work  for  a  few  days,  so  she  could 
care  for  and  cheer  the  stricken  woman.  Like  her 
husband,  Mrs.  O'Neil  contracted  a  cold  upon  the  bare 
cemented  flooring  of  her  cell,  and  a  terrible  cough  had 
set  in  which,  however,  the  good  care  of  her  bene 
factors  soon  broke  up. 

The  first  couple  of  days  Lankey  took  a  ride  to  the 
park  with  Willie  and  Louise,  and,  upon  his  return,  in 
company  with  May  Thornton,  went  in  search  for  dif 
ferent  apartments  for  Mrs.  O'Neil,  who  dreaded  to 
return  to  her  former  abode. 

In  the  next  block  to  the  Thorntons  was  found  a 
vacant  apartment,  and  Mrs.  O'Neil  did  not  need  any 
urging  to  take  it.  Though  the  neighborhood  in  which 
the  Thorntons  lived  was  populated  with  a  poor  class, 
comprising  many  nationalities,  there  did  not  exist  any 
clannishness,  and  a  newcomer  was  permitted  to  live  as 
he  chose.  Mrs.  O'Neil,  moreover,  now  found  a  strong 
friend  in  the  Thorntons,  who  were  among  the  oldest 
of  settlers  and  respected  by  all. 

Mrs.  O'Neil  was  naturally  too  weak  to  aid  in  mov- 
60 


Cfje  little 


ing  her  furniture  to  their  new  home,  but  she  had  a 
good  helper  in  Lankey,  who,  upon  cleaning  out  and 
making  ready  her  new  quarters,  assisted  in  making  the 
transfer. 

Early  the  third  morning,  as  Lankey  started  for  the 
O'Neils'  Bond  Street  apartment,  to  take  up  carpets 
and  pack  the  goods  ready  for  a  moving  van,  upon  leav 
ing,  he  called  May  Thornton  to  his  side,  and  whispered 
that  she  must  keep  a  good  look  out  for  the  Juvenile 
System's  agent.  "They  are  on  these  children's  track 
now.  I  know  their  methods.  Like  a  shark  follows 
a  ship  into  mid-ocean,  they'll  keep  up  a  search  for 
prey." 

Lankey  George  felt  himself  a  very  happy  man  that 
he  could  be  of  assistance  to  this  unfortunate  couple. 
That  he  had  been  the  means  of  saving  the  children 
from  the  hands  of  the  System  sang  like  a  triumph 
within  his  heart.  This  thought  added  to  his  height 
and  spirit.  In  his  late  years  he  had  stalked  about  with 
downcast  face  and  stooped  shoulders,  but  in  this  morn 
ing's  walk  he  stood  erect,  throwing  his  head  upward. 
Now  and  then  he  would  lightly  whistle  a  tune  which 
he  would  relieve  with  a  murmur  of  gratitude  that  it 
had  been  his  luck  to  be  present  that  eventful  evening. 

Though  well  known,  he  had  never  been  popular,  but 
now,  since  his  triumph  over  the  bully,  strong  Red 
Hook  Dan,  the  probation  officer,  he  found  himself 
thrust  into  great  popularity.  As  he  walked  along  the 
street  urchins  would  cry:  "Hallo,  Lankey."  Corner 
loafers  and  gang  members  would  sing  out :  "Bully  for 
you,  George,"  and  factory  girls  nodded  approvingly 
to  him  and  smiled  as  they  passed. 

Lankey  George  would  return  the  compliments  with 
out  apparent  emotion.  He  knew  they  were  all  tendered 
to  him  because  of  his  beating  Dan  Connors,  whom  all 

61 


C6e  Little  Sufferer* 


feared  and  considered  a  fighter.  George  did  not  re 
joice  in  his  victory,  but  it  was  the  blocking  of  the 
Juvenile  System  which  made  him  happy. 

Upon  reaching  the  house  in  which  the  O'Neils  lived 
and  turning  toward  the  entrance,  he  was  accosted  by 
a  guard  employed  in  the  Kings  Park  Hospital,  who 
delivered  a  message  signed  by  the  hospital  authori 
ties  which  stated  that  his  wife  had  at  two  o'clock  that 
morning  passed  away.  It  bade  him  call  immediately 
to  provide  for  the  body's  removal,  or  she  would  be  in 
terred  in  Potter's  Field. 

This  sudden  blow  momentarily  staggered  Lankey, 
though  he  knew  of  his  wife's  hopeless  condition  and 
felt  that  death  would  be  a  relief  to  her.  In  an  effort 
to  regain  his  possession,  he  supported  himself  against 
the  guard-rail  leading  toward  the  entrance. 

Upon  delivering  his  message,  the  guard  departed. 
Lankey  remained  distracted,  standing  as  in  a  trance. 
This  announcement  awakened  in  him  his  whole  life 
from  childhood.  He  reflected  back  to  the  day  when 
he  left  his  home  to  go  out  into  the  world.  The  first 
day  he  met  her  as  a  pretty,  blooming  girl  came  vividly 
to  his  mind.  He  remembered  the  first  bliss  of  his 
married  life  where  his  healthy,  hopeful,  happy  wife 
stood  beside  him.  This  brought  him  remembrance  of 
the  one  child  and  then  the  other  and  the  last  that  had 
come  into  the  world  to  add  cheerfulness  and  hap 
piness.  Suddenly  he  saw,  as  a  phantom,  the  black 
hand  of  the  Juvenile  System  one  day  carrying  away 
his  little  ones.  The  ghastly  thought  of  breaking  up 
his  home  and  having  his  wife  removed  to  an  insane 
ward  came  over  him.  He  trembled  as  he  recalled  the 
hardship  and  longing  which  he  had  endured  in  past 
years.  His  mind  whirled  as  he  thought  of  his  little 
children  who  had  been  robbed  of  him  and  persuaded 
by  the  Juvenile  System  to  go  to  western  farms  where 

62 


C&e  Little  §>ufferer0 


the  last  inkling  and  trace  of  them  disappeared.  To 
Lankey  it  was  all  a  cruel  fate.  He  now  stood  alone, 
bereft  of  all ;  helpless  and  hopeless,  he  was  left  to  en 
dure  till  the  end  should  come. 

Among  his  sad  reflections,  as  he  there  stood,  would 
gleam  thoughts  of  the  past  few  days,  where  he  had 
aided  and  relieved  the  unfortunate  O'Neils.  He  pic 
tured  the  conditions  from  which  he  had  saved  them. 
So  great  was  the  stress  of  feeling  that  to  remain  upon 
his  feet  he  had  to  support  himself  against  the  railing. 

Thus  in  hurricanes  of  thought  stood  Lankey  George, 
paying  no  attention  to  remarks  or  compliments  paid 
him  by  neighbors,  in  whose  esteem  he  so  suddenly 
had  arisen.  Presently  he  was  disturbed  by  a  hand 
laid  upon  his  shoulder,  and  with  a  light  jerk. 

"You  are  Lankey  George,  are  you  not?"  was  de 
manded.  The  interrupter  was  a  police  officer  in  civil 
ian  attire. 

Lankey  drew  himself  quickly  together,  a  second  or 
two  stared  at  the  officer  as  if  in  doubt  of  his  query. 
"What,  what  did  you  ask  me?"  he  stuttered. 

The  officer  momentarily  released  his  hold  and  re 
peated  his  question.  Upon  which  Lankey,  now  fully 
aroused,  coolly  replied :  "Yes,  sir,  that  is  what  they 
call  me." 

"You  are  under  arrest,"  promptly  imposed  the  offi 
cer.  "At  what  I  have  heard  of  you,  you  are  rather 
a  dangerous  person.  I  think  I  better  put  the  clippers 
on  you,"  he  said,  as  he  slipped  the  handcuffs  over 
George's  wrist  and  bade  him  walk  along. 

This  arrest,  so  sudden  and  unexpected,  dealt  Lankey 
George  a  further  stroke.  Scarcely  able  to  maintain 
himself  upright,  he  was  dragged  to  the  precinct  house, 
and  hauled  before  the  sergeant,  who  eyed  him  with 
his  usual  accusing  glance,  void  of  sympathy. 

George  had  then  no  thoughts  upon  anything.    To  in- 

63 


quire  the  crime  for  which  he  was  brought  there  did 
not  enter  his  mind.  Blank  in  main,  without  a  murmur, 
stared  at  the  sergeant,  who  now  said :  "You  are  under 
arrest  for  assaulting  Probation  Officer  Dan  Connors, 
who  now  lies  critically  ill  at  the  City  Hospital." 

Lankey  was  still  too  overcome  to  give  reply  which, 
however,  would  have  been  of  no  avail.  After  under 
going  the  preliminaries  of  taking  down  his  pedigree, 
he  underwent  the  ordeal  of  being  searched.  The  note 
in  his  pocket  from  the  hospital  authorities  refreshed 
his  mind,  he  began  to  explain,  reaching  the  sergeant 
the  letter.  That  judicial  person  returned  it,  saying: 
"I  ain't  reading  nobody's  papers,"  but  recommended: 
"Keep  it,  and  show  it  to  the  judge  if  you  like.  I  can't 
upon  so  serious  a  charge  even  release  you  on  bail 
bond.  You'll  have  to  stay  in  jail  till  your  case  comes 
up.  I  never  seen  the  time  yet  but  that  you  fellows 
did  not  have  one  excuse  nor  another."  He  then  mo 
tioned  an  officer  to  take  the  prisoner  off  to  a  cell, 
where  he  was  to  await  arraignment  before  a  magis 
trate. 

It  was,  however,  still  early,  being  only  ten  minutes 
past  eleven  o'clock,  but  the  court  of  the  swamps  had 
closed  a  few  minutes  previously,  and  his  honor  had 
left  for  private  haunts.  This  caused  unfortunate 
George  to  remain  in  the  precinct  cell  over  night. 

It  was  naturally  a  long  and  dreadful  day  and  night. 
There  were  no  accommodations  to  encourage  either 
sitting  or  lying  down.  He  had  but  the  bare  cemented 
flooring  of  this  damp  basement  cell  upon  which  to 
rest  his  body.  Through  ordeal  and  strain,  tortured  in 
mind  and  body,  he  slid  to  the  floor.  Soon  numb  and 
stiff,  he  was  no  longer  conscious  of  aches,  but  his 
dulled  mind  could  not  keep  from  pounding,  and  he 
longed  for  death.  As  he  thought  of  his  wife's  demise 

64 


Cbe  Little  Sufferer? 


he  yearned  to  lie  in  peace  beside  her,  but  this  release 
was  not  to  be ;  he  had  to  live  and  suffer. 

Almost  in  a  state  of  utter  collapse,  long  before  court 
opening,  he  was  brought  to  the  temporary  detention 
room  behind  the  court  to  await  the  arrival  of  the  mag 
istrate.  It  was,  however,  some  little  relief  to  the  body, 
for  the  room  had  wooden  flooring  and  a  few  benches. 
Among  many  miserable  creatures  arraigned  for  guilt 
or  innocence,  his  uncomfortable  mind  strove  to  con 
sider  his  situation.  He  would  spasmodically  awaken 
to  wonder  if  he  fared  worse  than  half  of  the  world. 
"As  the  withering  plant  dies  from  lack  of  sunshine, 
and  the  desert  suffers  from  drought,  such  are  man's 
fortuitous  courses  in  life,"  mused  he.  "Yet  within  it 
all  there  is  a  power  of  will  and  strength  to  endure. 
What  I  have  suffered  will  aid  another,  and  my  purpose 
in  life  shall  be  to  strengthen  that  of  others,"  thought 
he.  "Every  punishment  has  its  rewards.  That  I  saved 
the  O'Neils  from  perhaps  a  cruel  fate  atones  to  me 
for  more  than  my  sufferings." 

Lankey's  reflections  were  interrupted  by  the  "pen- 
keeper,"  who  opened  the  door  and  began  to  empty  the 
locker.  A  couple  of  unfortunate  women  who  appeared 
dead  to  the  world  of  shame  were  the  first  to  be  taken 
before  the  magistrate.  They  had,  like  Lankey,  lain 
in  a  cement  padded  cell  all  night,  but  liquor  for  which 
cause  they  had  been  brought  there,  made  endurance 
possible.  Sobered  up  they  now  apparently  were,  but 
they  showed  neither  sign  of  repentance  nor  humiliation. 
That  they  were  old  offenders  of  the  law  was  evident, 
but  whatever  caused  their  downfall  was  not  consid 
ered.  Society's  duties  had  ended;  the  stigma  was 
upon  them. 

A  few  more  prisoners  were  brought  out  before 
Lankey's  turn  came.  Some  were  returned  to  the  pen 

65 


C6e  Little  %iifferer0 


for  a  further  hearing,  while  others  received  their  dis 
charge.  Finally  it  fell  upon  Lankey  George  to  appear, 
and  the  "penkeeper"  grabbed  him  by  the  arm.  This 
procedure,  a  classified  dignity  of  magistrate  courts  to 
lead  prisoners  with  a  secured  hold  to  the  bar,  could 
perhaps  here  have  been  spared,  as  the  court  swarms 
with  civilian  and  uniformed  officers.  Any  attempt  at 
escape  would  seem  futile.  Though  George  longed  for 
his  freedom,  he  was  far  too  weak  to  make  any  effort  to 
secure  it. 

The  magistrate  looked  over  the  charge,  and  ex 
plained  the  seriousness  of  the  case.  Lankey,  who  had 
neither  enjoyed  sleep  nor  rest  and  looked  decidedly 
unkempt,  made  no  good  impression  upon  the  judge, 
who  answered:  "I  shall  remand  you  to  the  county  jail 
to  await  the  outcome  of  Dan  Connors'  injuries." 

The  penkeeper  prepared  to  drag  Lankey  back  into 
the  cell. 

"Your  Honor,"  pleaded  Lankey,  collecting  himself, 
"my  wife  just  died,  and " 

"Oh,  I  can't  help  that,"  broke  off  the  judge.  "You 
had  no  business  to  get  into  trouble.  But  I'll  fix  the 
bail  at  fifteen  hundred  dollars,  if  that'll  do  you  any 
good,"  he  ended  sarcastically,  and  motioned  the  pen- 
keeper  to  bring  out  another  prisoner. 

Of  course,  Lankey  George,  a  poor  man  with  no  real 
estate,  or  rich  friends,  or  political  backing,  could  never 
hope  to  reach  that  amount  of  bail  bond.  It  appeared 
to  him  as  though  society  singled  out  crime  according 
to  material,  wealth,  and  position.  The  poverty  branded 
are  cast  upon  the  reef,  while  the  ones  affording  a  bail 
bond  are  picked  up  from  the  waves  and  enjoy  the 
freedom  of  the  social  craft.  Guilty  or  not,  the  poverty- 
ridden  must  linger  in  the  pit  of  crime  until  the  day 
that  justice  shall  proceed  and  conclude.  "The  justice 
within  it  all  is  an  iniquity  measured  by  the  wrongs  of 

66 


C6e  Little  %ufferet$ 


society,"  thought  Lankey,  as  he  was  led  back  into  the 
pen  to  await  "Black  Maria,"  the  only  public  trans 
portation  utility  open  in  common  to  the  poor. 

After  Lankey  had  been  assigned  to  his  new  prison 
quarters,  realizing  the  inevitableness  of  his  situation,  he 
begged  a  guard  to  attend  to  the  sending  off  of  a  mes 
sage  to  some  up-State  relative  whom  he  wished  to 
look  after  the  remains  of  his  wife. 

The  guard  consented  to  attend  it  upon  a  retaining 
fee  of  a  one-dollar  bill,  excluding  the  cost  of  the  mes 
sage.  But  what  was  Lankey 's  surprise  upon  searching 
his  pocket  and  rinding  but  a  five-cent  piece  which 
was  hidden  in  a  corner  of  his  trousers'  pocket.  Upon 
leaving  the  O'Neils,  he  had  two  one-dollar  bills.  Had 
he  been  picked  by  the  police?  Or  was  it  in  the  cell, 
or  had  he  fumbled  and  lost  it  during  his  bewildered 
spell  ?  He  did  not  know.  But  all  trace  of  it  was  gone, 
and  with  it  his  hope. 

Lankey  George  now  carried  the  yoke ;  he  had  failed 
to  get  his  liberty.  He  was  hindered  in  tendering  a 
last  look  at  his  unfortunate  wife's  remains.  He  had 
no  way  or  means  to  appeal  to  relatives  and  the  Potter's 
Field,  with  no  holier  ceremonies  than  such  as  attend 
the  burying  of  a  dog,  was  to  be  the  lot  of  his  wife. 
A  hopeless  despair  engulfed  him. 

CHAPTER  VII. 

JACK   STEVENSON   REDUCED   FROM    RANKS. 

Several  days  passed.  Lankey  had  no  real  estate 
friends  to  go  upon  his  bail,  nor  had  he  politicians  or 
friends  to  speak  for  him.  His  pleadings  gained  no 
concessions.  The  jail-keepers  bestowec1  no  other  con 
solation  than  a  shrug  of  their  shoulders.  And  thus 
while  Lankey  George  languished  in  a  cell,  his  unfor- 

67 


Cbe  Little  %utfztct$ 


tunate  wife  was  without  ceremony  and  without  fol 
lowers  or  mourners,  laid  away  in  the  city's  free  burial 
place. 

In  the  meantime  Mrs.  O'Neil  stayed  at  the  Thorn 
tons.  May  Thornton  felt  very  uneasy  as  the  second 
and  third  day  passed  and  Lankey  had  not  reported.  To 
all  their  understanding  he  had  intended  to  prepare  for 
the  removal  of  O'Neil's  household  goods.  Owing  to 
their  short  acquaintance  with  him,  they  naturally  in 
dulged  in  many  surmises. 

Mrs.  O'Neil  dreaded  much  to  return  to  Bond  Street, 
so  May  Thornton,  much  disappointed  in  Lankey,  now 
personally  took  charge  of  removing  the  belongings  to 
their  new  home. 

The  third  day  following  Lankey's  arrest,  as  she 
prepared  to  go  to  the  O'Neils'  Bond  Street  home,  the 
postman  handed  her  a  letter.  It  was  from  her  old 
lover,  Dan  Connors.  She  was  about  to  throw  it  into 
the  fire  without  reading  it,  but  her  eyes  happened  to 
fall  upon  a  certain  line  which  bore  the  name  of  Lankey 
George.  She  withdrew  the  letter  and  read  therein 
that  Lankey  was  in  jail  awaiting  the  outcome  of  Con 
nors'  injuries.  The  letter  also  mentioned  that  the 
O'Neil  children  were  concealed  in  her  home,  but  it 
ended  with  a  plea  that  if  she  would  forgive  him  he 
would  not  press  the  charge  of  assault  against  Lankey 
George,  nor  would  he  mention  the  part  Lankey  had 
taken  in  effecting  the  children's  escape  from  the  Juve 
nile  System. 

Thus  quickly  dawned  upon  May  Thornton  what  had 
happened  to  Lankey.  The  disappointment  she  had 
felt  toward  him  promptly  flamed  to  a  desire  to  go  to 
his  assistance.  She  further  despised  Dan  Connors  for 
his  arbitrary  attempts  to  regain  her  affection.  This 
letter,  which  so  clearly  unfolded  a  distinction  between 

68 


C6e  Little  Cofferer* 


law  and  justice,  she  secreted,  and  before  proceeding  to 
Bond  Street  she  sought  her  landlord,  who  consented 
to  go  upon  Lankey's  bail  bond,  whereupon  he  could 
receive  his  release  until  a  future  trial  day. 

Overjoyed  at  his  release,  that  evening  and  the  fol 
lowing  day  Lankey  spent  assisting  Mrs.  O'Neil  to  ad 
just  her  new  home.  Though  he  was  happy  to  be  help 
ful,  he  was  sorrowful  that  he  had  not  been  permitted 
to  attend  the  last  offices  to  his  beloved  wife.  Both 
Mrs.  O'Neil  and  the  Thorntons  sympathized  strongly 
with  him.  Though  he  did  not  admit  it,  they  agreed 
that  the  cause  of  present  difficulty  lay  in  the  fact  that 
he  had  fought  for  justice  and  aided  in  protecting  the 
helpless  O'Neil  children  from  the  tentacles  of  the 
Juvenile  System. 

Lankey's  trial  day  had  at  last  been  reached;  Dan 
Connors  had  received  his  discharge  from  the  hospital 
and  could  personally  appear  against  him.  The  charge 
preferred  against  Lankey  was  assault  and  interfering 
against  an  officer  while  attending  his  duty.  The  Sys 
tem's  agent  as  a  witness  in  his  behalf  verified  that  he 
was  called  upon  by  a  probation  officer  to  remove  chil 
dren  who  were  abandoned  by  a  pair  of  drunken  par 
ents,  and  that  the  prisoner  had  interfered  with  the 
officer. 

Lankey  had  no  witnesses  to  testify  in  his  behalf  as 
to  his  assertion  that  the  fight  had  occurred  at  a  pri 
vate  function  and  was  entered  in  self-defence.  The 
Flanagans  and  their  guests  of  that  night  were  too 
friendly  toward  Dan  to  go  forward  and  testify  to  the 
real  facts. 

The  judge  showed  some  inclination  toward  taking 
side  with  Red  Hook  Dan,  and  began  his  decision: 
"While  this  probation  officer  was  on  his  post  and  at 
tending  his  duties,  as  any  regular  appointed  officer, 

69 


C&e  JLfttle  Sufferer? 


you  were  guilty  by  your  act  of  interfering1,  and  you 
committed  an  assault  which  might  have  ended  with  a 
loss  to  life,  and  I  will " 

"Your  Honor,"  here  broke  in  Officer  Jack  Steven 
son,  stepping  forward  to  the  bar,  and  voluntarily  com 
ing  to  Lankey's  aid,  "if  you  will  permit  me  to  state  a 
fact,  this  probation  officer  had  no  business  in  the  house 
•where  the  fight  occurred.  If  you  will  kindly  refer  to 
the  precinct  station  you  will  find  that  he  was  assigned 
to  duties  at  some  other  post  than  that  vicinity." 

As  Officer  Jack  finished,  May  Thornton  stepped 
forward  nervously,  and,  without  a  word,  reached  the 
judge  the  compromising  letter  which  she  had  received 
from  Dan  Connors. 

His  Honor  read  the  letter,  weighed  the  matter  over 
a  moment,  and  in  a  changed  tone  directed  to  Dan 
Connors  said :  "I  begin  to  think  you  got  what  you  de 
serve,  and  you  can  feel  yourself  lucky  if  your  police 
job  does  not  end  where  it  began."  Turning  to  Lankey, 
he  nodded :  "You  are  discharged." 

The  System's  agent,  who  had  appeared  in  behalf  of 
Dan  Connors,  had  recognized  in  Jack  Stevenson  the 
officer  who  had  interrupted  him  in  his  act  of  carrying 
away  the  children,  and  could  barely  hold  himself  from 
upbraiding  him  before  the  judge. 

Officer  Jack  did  not  know  at  this  time  that  the  Sys 
tem's  agent  had  preferred  charges  against  him,  but  he 
did  not  have  to  wait  long  to  become  so  acquainted, 
for  upon  his  return  to  the  precinct  at  noon  roll  call, 
he  was  served  with  a  command  from  the  police  com 
missioner  to  call  on  a  subsequent  date  to  answer  to 
various  complaints  filed  against  him. 

While  Dan  Connors  felt  greatly  disappointed  with 
the  outcome  of  his  trial,  May  Thornton  was  highly 
pleased,  and  innocently  pressed  Lankey's  hand  which 

70 


Little  ^>ufferer0 


he  returned  with  a  thankful  look,  as  both  departed  for 
her  home  in  Van  Brunt  Street. 

The  trial  day  of  Officer  Jack  Stevenson  was  eventu 
ally  reached,  but  he  was  not  to  enjoy  a  fate  similar  to 
that  of  Lankey  George.  The  charges  preferred  against 
him  were  serious.  While  they  were  garbled  and  false, 
they  were  backed  by  authority,  and  the  poor  officer 
saw  before  him  the  worst  experience  of  his  life. 

Harry  O'Neil,  it  had  been  reported,  was  still  in  a 
dangerous  state,  his  sickness  had  developed  into  pneu 
monia,  and  the  entire  blame  had,  by  threads  of  false 
hood,  been  strongly  turned  against  Jack  Stevenson. 
The  acting  captain  and  Officer  O'Sullivan  and  the 
doorman  all  testified  falsely  that  the  injuries  were  re 
ceived  with  kicks  and  blows  from  Jack,  and  that  it  was 
only  their  timely  intervention  which  saved  the  sick 
man's  life. 

Poor  Jack  Stevenson  could  offer  no  defence;  his 
words  were  strongly  overweighed  by  those  of  his  su 
periors  and  his  fellow  officers,  who  thus  planned  to 
conceal  their  own  outrage.  O'Neil,  of  course,  was  not 
present  to  testify  in  his  behalf. 

The  next  complaint  against  Officer  Jack  was  assault 
and  interfering  with  the  duties  of  a  Juvenile  System's 
agent.  This  charge  proved  as  serious  and  strong  as 
the  preceding  one.  High  officials  of  the  System  were 
permitted  to  be  present  and  forced  the  complaint.  His 
fellow  brother,  Officer  O'Sullivan,  here  also  testified. 
He  stated  that  the  System  only  demanded  its  right, 
while  the  agent  complained  that  Officer  Jack  Steven 
son,  besides  refusing  to  assist  him,  actually  hindered 
him  in  performing  his  duty,  and  cuffed  and  kicked  him 
and  used  abusive  language. 

Officer  Jack  again  saw  himself  in  a  sad  dilemma. 
He  was  not,  however,  permitted  to  admit  that  he  had 


Little 


interfered  in  the  agent's  attempt  to  force  the  door,  and 
to  explain  his  conduct.  He  had  simply  violated  a 
right  of  an  institution  which  ruled  with  a  hand  of 
iron. 

That  poor  Jack  Stevenson  was  doomed  to  fare  worse 
is  obvious.  The  commissioner,  much  inflamed,  arose 
and  commanded  Jack  to  step  forward.  Removing  the 
shield  and  cutting  off  his  buttons  from  the  officer's 
coat,  he  sternly  cried :  "You're  a  disgrace  to  the  force ; 
you  should  be  swung  in  the  stirrups  and  hung  in  the 
gallows !  It's  the  likes  of  you  what  puts  a  blot  upon 
our  police  force,  which  has  the  reputation  of  bein'  the 
finest  in  the  world."  Turning  to  the  System's  agent, 
he  continued :  "I  shall  advise  you  to  swear  out  a  war 
rant  for  his  arrest  because  of  his  cowardly  way  of 
kickin'  you  while  in  your  act  of  rights  and  duties." 

This  charge  the  agent  forthwith  preferred,  being 
encouraged  to  do  so  by  high  officials  of  the  System. 
It  aided  them  in  showing  and  maintaining  their  full 
power;  besides,  it  should  ever  be  a  wholesome  lesson 
to  the  public  to  respect  their  officials. 

As  poor  Jack  Stevenson  was  dishonored  and  placed 
under  arrest,  he  bravely  replied :  "The  first  charge 
against  me  is  an  infamous  lie,  and  will  in  time  righten 
itself;  as  to  the  second  charge,  I  will  say  as  a  free- 
born  man  I  shall  never  yield  my  rights  to  fight  for 
anyone  born  under  similar  statute.  I  only  upheld  the 
Constitution  of  the  United  States,  which  this  individual 
private  corporation  is  daily  violating  and  is  permitted 
to  violate.  In  my  ten  years  of  police  duty,  you  have 
never  before  had  occasion  to  find  an  offence  against 
me,  and  I  am  indeed  proud  that  you  could  find  no  truer 
cause  than  the  one  of  infamy  against  the  force,  and 
the  other  of  resisting  an  injustice  against  society." 

That  Officer  Jack  Stevenson  had  been  dismissed 
from  the  force  and  was  now  under  arrest  for  assault- 

72 


C8e  Little 


ing  the  Juvenile  System's  agent  flew  through  all  bor 
oughs.  Evening  papers  were  full  of  details;  some 
sided  with  the  dismissed  officer,  while  others  took  an 
opposite  view.  Reporters  interviewed  the  unfortu 
nate  man  in  his  cell,  where  he  coolly  and  without  com 
plaint  explained  that  all  would  soon  right  itself. 

May  Thornton  had  been  on  an  errand  downtown, 
and  learned  from  the  news  bulletin  of  the  trial  and 
dismissal  of  Officer  Jack.  She  recognized  in  him  the 
officer  who,  a  couple  of  days  ago,  had  come  to  her 
rescue  in  having  Lankey  freed,  and  she  heartily  wished 
that  she  could  return  his  kindness.  Upon  reaching 
home,  she  sorrowfully  recounted  the  officer's  fate,  but 
neither  of  the  Thorntons,  nor  Mrs.  O'Neil  believed 
that  Jack  Stevenson  could  have  been  guilty  of  bru 
tality. 

Scarcely  had  May  finished  relating  the  news  when 
Lankey  George  hastily  opened  the  door  and  entered. 
He  had  just  returned  from  a  visit  to  the  hospital. 
"I  have  good  news,"  he  exclaimed,  as  he  smiled  and 
threw  himself  upon  a  chair.  "Harry  O'Neil  is  doing 
fine;  he  sat  up  in  bed,  and  we  had  quite  a  chat  to 
gether.  He  expects  to  be  out  in  a " 

"Oh,  my !  the  bulletin  said  that  he  was  very  low 
with  pneumonia,"  broke  in  May,  as  she  asked :  "Didn't 
you  hear  about  the  police  trial  ?" 

"Certainly  I  did,"  quickly  responded  Lankey.  "It 
was  a  put-up  job.  Jack  Stevenson  was  a  man  of  no 
use  to  the  police  force,  and  the  Juvenile  System  had 
made  up  their  mind  to  break  him  for  interfering  with 
its  agent.  Between  the  police  and  the  System  it  was 
thought  an  opportune  moment  to  get  him  off  the  force 
while  Harry  O'Neil  was  sick.  It  was  feared  that 
upon  his  release  from  the  hospital  that  testimonies 
might  be  brought  out  involving  other  officers,  and 
the  charge  of  the  Juvenile  System  alone  would  then 

73 


Little  Sufferers: 


not  have  been  sufficient  ground  upon  which  to  break 
him.  All  these  details,"  he  added,  "had  been  over 
heard  and  confided  to  Harry  O'Neil  by  a  fellow  who 
lay  in  the  cot  next  to  Red  Hook  Dan." 

While  elder  Mrs.  Thornton  and  May  sat  listening 
in  shocked  surprise,  Mrs.  O'Neil  sobbed  from  joy 
that  she  might  soon  expect  to  have  her  husband  home 
again.  Lankey  lighted  his  pipe,  and  continued :  "Why, 
Red  Hook  Dan,  with  his  dislocated  shoulder,  was  in 
the  same  ward  with  Harry.  Of  course,  they  had  never 
seen  each  other,  so  the  one  did  not  know  the  other. 
Officer  O'Sullivan  called  twice  to  see  him,  and,  though 
Harry  recognized  in  him  the  officer  who  kicked  him 
so  awful,  the  officer  appeared  not  to  have  known 
him." 

Here  Lankey  was  interrupted  as  Katie  Thornton 
entered,  looking  greatly  dejected.  All  eyes  turned 
upon  her.  "What  is  the  matter  with  you,  dear  child  ?" 
inquired  her  mother,  as  she  prepared  to  set  the  table 
for  the  evening  meal. 

"Oh,  the  firm  is  in  difficulty,  and  the  factory  has 
closed  down,"  she  replied  sadly.  "They  say  it  will 
never  reopen  again/'  she  added,  with  a  sigh. 

"Ah,  don't  worry  about  that,  my  Katie;  the  boys 
are  bringing  money  enough  to  the  house  to  keep  us 
all,"  replied  her  mother  encouragingly,  while  her  sister 
May  in  light  mood  added :  "I  am  going  back  to  my 
work  to-morrow,  and  I'll  keep  you  in  pin  money  till 
something  else  turns  up." 

It  was  quite  natural  that  Katie  should  feel  unhappy 
at  the  unfortunate  turn  in  her  affairs.  She  had  started 
to  work  in  the  American  Manufacturing  Company  at 
the  age  of  sixteen,  and  had  worked  her  way  to  the 
high  position  as  forelady,  and,  though  she  was  able 
and  competent,  it  would  not  be  altogether  easy  for  her 
to  obtain  such  a  satisfactory  position. 

74 


Cfje  Little  Sufferers 


However,  gloom  did  not  hang  over  the  party  long. 
Presently  they  joined  each  other  at  supper,  following 
which  they  went  with  Mrs.  O'Neil  to  view  her  new 
home.  May  and  Lankey  George  had  taken  great  pains 
in  helping  to  set  this  in  order,  and  the  results  were 
surprisingly  artistic  and  comfortable. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE  KIDNAPPING  OF  THE  C/NEIL  CHILDREN. 

The  next  two  weeks  carried  much  of  sadness  with 
them.  On  Monday  noon  the  older  of  the  Thornton 
boys  was  brought  home  from  work  with  his  right  hand 
severely  lacerated  by  a  machine.  The  financial  de 
pression  had  reached  the  firm  where  May  Thornton 
worked,  so  she  was  permitted  to  work  only  half  time. 
So,  with  Katie  altogether  idle,  it  left  the  good  Thorn 
ton  family  with  but  very  little  income.  Food,  cloth 
ing,  and  rental  had  steadily  gone  up,  while  wages 
nominally  remained  the  same.  The  Thorntons,  though 
commendable  people,  could  never  manage  to  lay  money 
aside.  The  only  one  now  working  steadily  was  a  lad 
of  sixteen,  who  earned  but  six  dollars  per  week  in 
a  box  factory,  and  this  concern,  too,  for  want  of 
work,  was  laying  off  hands  every  day. 

Lankey  George,  who  had  worked  in  the  coal  yard 
with  Flanagan,  through  Red  Hook  Dan,  had  lost  his 
place,  and,  though  he  needed  work,  he  felt  not  par 
ticularly  uneasy  about  it.  His  recent  experience  had 
awakened  the  better  spirit  which  was  dormant  within 
him.  He  had  grown  to  long  for  something  better 
than  jobbing  among  the  lower  and  underpaid  workers. 
Being  originally  a  carpenter  by  trade,  he  was  a  skilled 
man  with  the  tools.  Up  to  the  time  the  Juvenile  Sys- 

75 


€6e  Little  %>iifferet0 


tern  had  broken  up  his  home,  he  was  industrious  and 
had  lived  comfortably. 

Thus,  while  ill  luck  suddenly  fastened  itself  upon 
the  O'Neils'  friends  Mrs.  O'Neil  was  fated  to  undergo 
worse  ills  than  she  had  previously  experienced.  Al 
though  her  husband  was  steadily  improving,  he  was 
not  yet  able  to  leave  the  hospital.  The  Planet  Mill's 
superintendent  had  sent  the  first  week's  salary,  but 
thereupon  ceased,  and  the  few  dollars  of  her  husband's 
earnings  which  she  had  saved  dwindled  away  for  rent 
and  needed  food  and  clothing  for  the  little  ones. 

The  saddest  stroke  that  befell  the  unfortunate 
woman  was  at  the  middle  of  her  third  week  in  her 
new  home.  It  was  on  a  Monday,  little  past  noon. 
She  had  this  day  sent  off  her  boy,  Willie,  for  school, 
and  had  begun  to  prepare  Louise  and  the  baby  to  make 
a  short  visit  to  their  father  in  the  hospital. 

It  had  been  noticed  that  a  couple  of  suspicious  per 
sons  had  been  seen  hovering  about  in  the  vicinity.  Of 
course,  Mrs.  O'Neil  was  unknown  there,  and  but  for 
a  visit  to  and  from  the  Thorntons,  she  had  kept  en 
tirely  to  herself.  Though  she  had  heard  of  the  Juve 
nile  System's  former  attempt  to  kidnap  the  children, 
and  had  been  warned  of  a  likely  recurrence,  her  sus 
picion  was  not  so  strong  that  she  felt  she  had  to  hold 
her  children  under  bolts  and  locks  to  keep  them  away 
from  the  System. 

However,  it  happened  this  noon  that  her  landlord 
was  making  some  repairs  in  the  water  inlet  to  the 
house,  which  caused  the  water  to  be  temporarily  shut 
off.  Mrs.  O'Neil  bade  little  Louise  go  to  the  next 
block  to  the  Thorntons  and  fetch  a  kettle  of  water. 
The  Juvenile  System's  agent,  by  their  secret  service 
methods,  had  recognized  the  child  as  their  legitimate 
prey.  Though  they  have  the  law  with  them  in  all 
their  attacks  and  have  been  known  to  raid  whole  fam- 

76 


Little  Sufferers 


ilies  of  children  without  particular  pretext,  at  this  mo 
ment  they  found  good  cause  for  procedure.  As  Louise 
walked  by  the  agents  through  the  hall,  she  was  ac 
costed  by  one  of  them  with  a  rough  demand:  "Hey, 
what  have  you  got  in  that  can,  kid?" 

Louise,  in  reply,  screamed  for  her  mamma,  and 
ran  for  the  door  of  her  home  with  both  the  agents 
closely  following.  Mrs.  O'Neil  met  the  stern  inter- 
cepters  with  an  inquiry,  and  at  the  same  time  relieving 
the  child  of  the  can.  "What  have  you  sent  her  for 
in  that  can?"  the  agent  gruffly  asked,  as  one  of  them 
reached  for  the  can.  Upon  finding  it  to  contain  only 
water,  both  felt  angry  and  disappointed.  A  beer 
kettle  in  the  child's  hand  was  sufficient  ground  for 
action,  regardless  of  the  contents.  Thus,  while  the 
System's  agent  had  long  ago  marked  the  O'Neil  chil 
dren  for  their  prey,  it  gave  them  at  least  a  new  ground 
upon  which  to  apprehend.  Amid  protestation  and 
pleadings  from  Mrs.  O'Neil,  the  agents  tore  away  with 
force  the  crying  and  resisting  children.  The  little 
arms  of  the  baby,  encircling  its  mother's  neck,  had  to 
yield  to  unfeeling  hands. 

The  agents  boarded  a  car  for  the  Juvenile  System's 
store  room,  which  is  located  near  the  Borough  Hall. 
Poor  Mrs.  O'Neil,  who  had  suffered  so  much  of  late, 
by  this  shock  was  rendered  nearly  insane.  Hysterically 
crying  and  screeching,  she  followed  the  agents,  who 
held  the  struggling  children  and  boarded  the  car. 

A  few  women  passengers  realized  unfortunate  Mrs. 
O'Neil's  position,  and  sympathized  with  her,  but  feared 
to  interfere.  They  knew  the  System,  and  dreaded  it 
more  than  the  Black  Hand.  A  couple  of  men  passen 
gers  appeared  rather  disgusted  with  the  scene,  and  in 
their  slight  judgment  felt  that  this  woman  was  no 
safe  person  to  care  for  the  children,  and  so  accepted 
that  this  was  the  reason  that  her  children  had  been 

77 


Little  Sufferer* 


removed.  One  laboring  man,  in  blouse  and  overalls, 
soiled  from  work,  who  sat  in  the  farthest  corner,  paid 
the  unhappy  woman's  fare  as  the  conductor  persisted 
in  putting  her  off  unless  he  received  her  nickel,  an 
item  upon  which  she  could  gather  no  thought. 

Upon  reaching  the  System's  local  station,  the  squawl- 
ing  children  were  hustled  within  by  the  agents,  while 
Mrs.  O'Neil  was  barred  from  entering  with  threats  of 
arrest.  She  was  told  to  appear  in  the  Juvenile  Court 
on  the  following  day,  and  there  to  offer  any  evidence 
she  might  wish.  Wildly  and  hysterically  she  remon 
strated,  but  of  course  with  no  avail.  The  superin 
tendent  of  the  institution  finally  'phoned  for  a  police 
officer  who,  in  a  kindly  tone,  persuaded  the  unfortu 
nate  woman  to  go  home  and,  in  the  morning  when  her 
children  were  to  be  arraigned  in  court,  she  could  ap 
peal  to  the  judge. 

Bewildered  and  heart-broken,  she  hurried  home.  In 
her  haste  of  departure,  she  had  left  her  change  in  the 
house,  and  so  she  was  compelled  to  walk  the  distance. 
Utterly  exhausted,  she  reached  home,  to  be  met  in 
the  doorway  by  May  and  Katie  Thornton,  who  had 
heard  of  the  incident.  Helpless  as  they  all  were,  the 
best  they  could  do  was  to  console  the  grief-stricken 
mother  and  encourage  her  with  the  hope  that  she 
would  surely  get  her  children  again. 

It  was  now  past  four  o'clock.  Inconsolable,  she 
staggered  up  and  down  her  apartment,  wringing  her 
hands.  Suddenly  she  screeched  out  in  terror:  "Oh, 
my  Willie,  where  is  he?  Did  they  take  him,  too?" 
Without  further  delay,  she  ran  toward  the  school- 
house  where  he  was  attending,  but,  alas,  the  poor 
woman  was  too  late.  The  System's  agents  had  drawn 
from  Louise  that  her  brother,  Willie,  was  at  school, 
and  forthwith  its  sleuths  had  proceeded  to  the  school- 

78 


Little  §>uffera0 


house,  and  upon  dismissal  had  carried  the  lad  along 
with  them. 

The  agony  that  Mrs.  O'Neil  suffered  that  night 
cannot  be  described.  She  would  cry  for  her  husband 
and  for  each  of  their  children.  Her  own  incarcera 
tion  now  appeared  insignificant.  The  Thorntons,  who 
had  done  so  much  for  her  and  whom  she  loved,  could 
give  no  aid  to  her  mind.  In  her  distress  she  begged 
to  be  left  alone,  so  she  might  cry  in  peace. 

Without  sleep  and  rest,  terribly  nervous  and  appre 
hensive,  long  before  court  opening  she  appeared  at 
the  entrance  to  the  juvenile  branch.  Katie  and  May 
Thornton  had  begged  to  go  along  to  give  any  aid 
they  could. 

Within  this  court-room,  which  deals  with  juvenile 
offenders,  was  shown  one  of  the  saddest  blots  upon 
human  progress.  It  meant  either  depravity  of  chil 
dren  or  depravity  of  parents.  It  disclosed  sad  and 
haggard  faces.  There  were  fond  and  indulgent  par 
ents  who  could  not  manage  and  punish  their  children, 
but  had  to  ask  the  judge  to  discipline  them.  It  showed 
the  lack  of  a  proper  fulfilment  of  parents  and  also 
the  lack  of  our  organized  society  to  deal  with  delin 
quent  and  careless  parents.  Most  of  all,  it  showed 
innocent  children  being  punished  for  parents'  crime, 
and  the  good  children  who  were  seized  from  worthy 
parents  without  cause.  But  all  combined  to  show  a 
grand  industry,  a  most  profitable  course  for  this  our 
private  incorporated  Juvenile  System. 

That  other  mothers  suffered  a  fate  similar  to  Mrs. 
O'Neil's  was  evident  by  the  many  clean  women  with 
sad  faces.  While  perhaps  some  brought  their  children 
to  the  court  to  be  scolded  by  the  judge,  or  else  had 
incorrigible  youths  in  the  hands  of  the  law,  it  is 
apparent  that  a  majority  among  them  were  worthy 

79 


Cfje  Little  Sufferers 


and  able  to  be  guardians  of  their  own  children,  or  at 
least  could  have  been  brought  to  be  so,  were  the  laws 
applied  to  them  instead  of  to  their  little  ones. 

At  ten  o'clock  court  began  to  show  signs  of  activity. 
The  Juvenile  System's  agent  scurried  within  the  rail 
ing  among  the  clerks  and  court  habitues,  holding  whis 
pered  conversation  with  officials,  looking  up  records, 
taking  notes,  and  writing  down  accounts.  At  spaced 
intervals  in  an  enclosure  set  apart  were  placed  desks 
for  the  sole  use  of  these  guardians'  agents,  where 
notes,  accounts,  data  and  "tap-keeping  of  youths"  were 
filed  away  for  further  reference.  A  similar  lot  of 
lady  agents,  a  specie  of  slum  ladies,  showed  a  like 
activity.  These  queer  angels  are  daily  demonstrating 
their  methods  and  peculiar  ideas  in  our  juvenile 
courts.  They  work  for  the  miserable  youths  and  for 
the  mothers.  Their  part  in  our  juvenile  farce  lies  in 
investigating  homes,  looking  into  complaints,  in  in 
terfering  and  intervening.  Their  opinion  is  based  upon 
trivialities  and  notions  and  prejudices.  They  throw 
much  influence  upon  the  action  of  the  court. 

One  of  these  women  was  seen  approachng  dis 
tressed  Mrs.  O'Neil.  She  patted  her  upon  the  shoul 
der,  whispered  good  cheer  in  her  ears,  and  offered  her 
advice.  But  in  the  next  breath,  upon  turning  her  back, 
it  was  learned  that  she  whispered  strong  words  of 
condemnation  into  the  ears  of  the  court  and  the  Juve 
nile  System's  agents.  She  not  only  betrayed  the 
wretched  Mrs.  O'Neil,  but  drew  upon  her  imagination 
to  do  so. 

As  the  System's  agent,  from  a  little  enclosure, 
brought  forward  the  O'Neil  children,  the  tortured 
mother  experienced  something  of  a  convulsion;  every 
limb  and  muscle  contracted  and  expanded  in  a  spasm. 
It  was  a  ghastly  sight,  lasting  a  couple  of  seconds. 
But  then  she  revived  and  sprang  from  her  seat  and, 

80 


Cfje  Little  Sufferers 


with  nervous  haste,  made  toward  the  judge's  seat,  in 
front  of  which  the  children  were  placed.  A  court 
officer  roughly  pushed  her  back,  and  bade  her  to  keep 
her  seat  till  his  honor  called  her.  Crazed,  Mrs.  O'Neil 
was  neither  used  to  court  etiquette,  nor  had  thought 
for  her  own  self.  May  and  Katie  Thornton,  who  sat 
beside  her,  tried  to  calm  her,  but  the  sight  of  her  im 
prisoned  children  impelled,  and  in  wild  anger  she 
rushed  by  the  officer  and  reached  within  the  enclosure 
where  stood  the  children. 

The  scene  was  most  pathetic.  Before  the  court  had 
called  her  case,  she  stood  begging  and  pleading  to 
get  her  children  back.  A  police  officer  restrained  her 
from  laying  hands  upon  the  children.  The  agents  of 
the  Juvenile  System  held  a  strong  grip  upon  Willie 
and  Louise,  who,  weeping,  struggled  to  get  to  their 
mother.  The  infant,  too,  which  was  held  in  a  matron's 
arms,  cried  furiously  and  scratched  and  fought  to 
reach  its  mother. 

The  judge  looked  uneasy,  though  he  was  accustomed 
to  all  sorts  of  scenes,  real  or  pretended.  That  Mrs. 
O'Neil  was  sincere  he  did  not  doubt,  but  he  feared 
that  she  was  demented.  Very  often  his  Honor  sternly 
rebuked  the  ones  overstepping  court  etiquette,  but  in 
his  good  feeling  and  judgment  for  whatever  might 
be  the  cause,  the  judge  laid  aside  court  rules. 

"Now,  my  good  woman,  be  calm,  and  I  will  hear 
you  first,"  he  said,  "and  you  shall  not  suffer  injus 
tice." 

"Sure,  ye'll  be  hurtin'  yer  own  case,  mum,  by  losin' 
yer  grit,"  simultaneously  and  encouragingly  whispered 
an  officer,  who  stood  close  by  her,  but  poor  Mrs. 
O'Neil,  who  had  been  tried  so  much  of  late,  could 
not  collect  herself.  She  could  only  find  words  to  the 
effect  that  she  was  robbed  of  both  her  husband  and 
children. 

81 


Cfje  Little  Sufferers; 


May  and  Katie  Thornton  had  followed  Mrs.  O'Neil, 
but  had  not  been  permitted  to  enter  within  the  railing 
where  stood  the  demented  woman.  One  of  the  girls 
from  without  the  railing  began  to  explain  to  the  judge 
the  unfortunate  condition  of  the  woman,  and  assured 
him  that  she  was  entirely  sane,  and  was  only  crazed  by 
the  tremendous  blow  of  being  robbed  of  her  children, 
and  begged  in  the  poor  woman's  behalf  to  have  the 
children  restored. 

Mrs.  O'Neil  became  calmer  as  her  friend  spoke,  and 
she  forced  herself  to  be  strong,  hoping  every  second 
the  judge  would  deliver  her  and  the  children.  But 
of  course  courts  of  justice  deal  with  two  sides,  and 
the  other  side  being  the  strongest,  had  to  be  heard, 
and  it  dealt  a  blow  to  Mrs.  O'Neil  that  could  not  have 
been  more  fatal. 

"If  it  pleases  your  Honor,"  now  out  of  patience  and 
without  show  of  feeling,  broke  in  the  System's  agent, 
"this  woman  is  not  the  proper  custodian  for  the  chil 
dren.  We  have  proof  that  this  woman  and  her  hus 
band  were  both  locked  up  for  drunkenness  and  disor 
derly  conduct.  Her  husband  is  now  in  the  hospital, 
and  I  don't  doubt  but  we  can  find  more  against  them 
if  it  pleases  your  Honor  to  have  us  investigate," 
ended  he,  with  courteous  bow,  being  much  accustomed 
to  the  ordeal. 

The  judge  looked  uncertain.  The  young  and  re 
spectable  appearing  Thornton's  story  had  appealed  to 
him ;  he  would  have  liked  to  return  the  children  to  the 
mother;  but,  though  he  was  a  judge,  he  must,  to  a 
great  extent,  bend  himself  to  the  wishes  and  demands 
of  the  powerful  Juvenile  System,  whose  influence 
could  both  make  and  break  him.  He  could  not  safely 
release  them  except  upon  stronger  proof  of  her  fit 
ness  and  ability  properly  to  guard  and  maintain  them. 
As  he  sat  speculating  a  moment  or  two  with  Mrs. 

82 


C6e  JLfttle 


O'Neil's  eyes  resting  pleadingly  upon  him,  a  tall, 
clerical-looking  person  stepped  behind  the  judge's 
chair  and  whispered  a  few  words. 

The  intruder  was  a  Presbyterian  minister  called 
Headstrong.  He  was  a  regular  court  runner  and  de 
bauched  religion  with  all  his  bunco  courses  and  per 
fidious  acts  of  false  mercy.  Being  a  staunch  sup 
porter  of  the  Juvenile  System,  he  also  worked  hand 
in  hand  with  any  movement  that  tried  to  infringe 
upon  nature's  course  and  siarved  the  soul  of  man. 

That  his  words  were  not  in  the  unfortunate  woman 
and  miserable  children's  behalf  was  soon  clear.  The 
judge  also  showed  it  as  he  forthwith  and  without  fur 
ther  uncertainty,  though  with  a  strain  of  sympathy, 
said :  "From  all  appearances  the  Juvenile  System  acted 
within  its  right.  There  appears  proof  that  the  System 
was  appealed  to  to  take  care  of  the  children,  and,  be 
sides,  you,  my  good  woman,  are  not  fully  rational  and 
able  to  care  for  them  in  your  present  state,  so " 

At  this  point  Mrs.  O'Neil,  who  understood  the  re 
verse  decision,  dropped  upon  her  knees,  piteously  im 
ploring  and  crying  for  the  judge  to  change  his  de 
cision;  but  her  plea  was  of  no  avail.  Nervously  and 
uneasily  he  moved  about,  but  he  dared  not  to  change 
the  verdict. 

"Your  Honor,"  again  said  one  of  the  Thornton  girls 
with  her  hand  stretched  forward  appealingly,  "the 
baby  is  still  nursing  upon  its  mother's  breast,  and  it 
may  mean "  c 

"Oh,  don't  worry  about  that,  Miss,"  sharply  and 
with  a  victorious  grin  broke  in  the  System's  agent,  "we 
have  special  prepared  food  for  infants." 

The  harrowing  final  scene,  where  the  children  were 
dragged  away  by  the  victorious  agent,  and  the  mother 
lugged  out  of  court  by  attending  court  officers,  cannot 
be  described.  That  Mrs.  O'Neil  did  not  entirelv  sue- 

83  ; 


Little  Sufferers 


cumb  was  due  to  her  physical  strength,  but  never  a 
moment  did  the  Thornton  girls  fail  to  ease  her  an 
guish. 

CHAPTER  IX. 
MRS.  O'NEIL'S  VISIT  AT  ONE  OF  THE  SYSTEM'S  HOMES. 

Our  "shake-up"  or  "shifting-about  police  system" 
leaves  the  officers  with  their  families  regularly  on  the 
move,  and  prepared  to  obey  a  political  order  for  the 
good  of  the  force.  This  gypsy  system  had  been  an 
advantage  to  Jack  Stevenson.  In  his  ten  years  on  the 
force  he  had  been  shifted  twenty-four  times  to  vari 
ous  localities,  and  in  all  parts  of  the  boroughs.  It  had 
made  him  popular.  All  good  citizens  soon  recognized 
in  him  a  respectable  and  trustworthy  officer;  he  was 
looked  upon  as  an  exemplary  man,  and  it  had  been 
predicted  that  one  of  his  character  would  not  wear  out 
his  uniform  upon  the  police  force.  His  sudden  dis 
missal  from  the  force  had  doubled  the  public's  interest 
in  him. 

The  opposing  political  parties  had  began  to  make 
campaign  material  out  of  Jack's  abrupt  dismissal  from 
the  force  without  sufficient  ground.  While  the  de 
partment  was  clogged  with  discredited  and  doubtful 
characters,  there  at  least  had  never  been  proven  any 
thing  against  Jack  Stevenson.  The  sick  man,  Harry 
O'Neil,  had  not  appeared  against  him,  and  should  the 
Juvenile  System,  a  private  directorate,  run  the  police 
force  as  it  does  our  special  session  judges  and  its 
courts,  then  the  time  would  soon  come  when  it  would 
claim  guardianship  over  the  entire  metropolis.  In  this 
and  like  manner  ran  the  general  public's  opinion,  and 
a  few  newspapers  pictured  Jack  Stevenson  as  a  mar- 

84 


Little 


tyr.  In  some  journals  he  was  lauded  as  a  hero  for 
his  fearlessness  in  casting  himself  against  the  powerful 
Juvenile  System. 

The  old  political  party,  who  owns  and  controls  the 
police  system,  and  whose  protege  the  Juvenile  System 
is,  soon  realized  their  error  and  made  overtures 
through  Jack's  friends  that  he  should  apply  for  re-in- 
statement  on  the  force  upon  technical  grounds.  He 
had  assurance  that  simple  formalities  would  re-install 
him.  By  this  course  the  politicians  anticipated  closing 
the  matter. 

However,  Jack  Stevenson  was  able  and  intelligent, 
and  felt  that  he  could  make  his  livelihood  within  other 
limits,  and  so  declined  it.  He  planned  that  he  would 
right  himself  and  clear  his  name  and  then  punish 
those  who  had  brought  about  his  downfall.  This  little 
friction  in  Jack's  life  stirred  his  ambition;  he  took  up 
social  affairs  vigorously  and  in  these  he  received  en 
couragement  and  support  from  all  boroughs. 

The  People's  Independent  Party  was  well  formed, 
and  every  district  had  its  organized  quarters.  Its 
head-quarters  was  in  the  Borough  of  Manhattan,  and 
Jack  Stevenson  was  made  chairman.  He  was  also  a 
leader  of  his  own  home  district,  and  affairs  were  soon 
satisfactory  to  him. 

Jack's  ten  years  on  the  police  force  had  furnished 
him  ample  experience.  By  one  or  two  speeches  he 
proved  himself  eloquent  and  forceful;  this  added  to 
his  popularity.  He  gained  respect  and  it  brought  him 
a  tremendous  following.  Had  he  desired  to  run  inde 
pendently  as  mayor,  he  would  have  received  unani 
mous  support.  But  at  present  his  wishes  were  to  reach 
the  assembly  only,  and  thereto  he  laid  his  plans. 

His  first  thoughts,  upon  reaching  the  assembly,  were 
to  introduce  and  influence  the  passage  of  a  bill  to  wipe 

85 


C&e  Little 


out  of  existence  all  the  private  juvenile  institutions  or 
systems,  which  Jack  looked  upon  as  the  most  danger 
ous  foes  to  future  generations.  He  had  long  recog 
nized  them  as  a  breeder  of  crime.  "The  course  of 
committing  spirited  and  neglected  children  to  strict, 
unnatural  courses  of  development,  must  either  stunt 
or  corrupt  them,"  he  always  argued.  He  not  only 
planned  to  destroy  the  powerful  juvenile  institutions, 
but  he  also  aimed  at  entirely  abolishing  the  children's 
courts  and  establishing  some  means  whereby  the  par 
ent  branch  should  be  held  responsible  for  their  own 
progeny  up  to  its  mature  state. 

He  held  the  opinion  that  courts  are  mature  stages, 
and  that  children  who  are  immature  should  be  regu 
lated  only  through  natural  phases  of  parenthood,  this 
being  the  only  right  channel  of  influence.  It  is  not  a 
court's  duty  to  systematize  a  child ;  its  duty  should  lie 
in  systematizing  and  compelling  parents  to  do  their 
best  duty. 

Upon  one  of  his  electioneering  trips  in  South  Brook 
lyn  for  the  coming  election,  he  had  heard  of  the  out 
rageous  capture  of  the  O'Neil  children  by  the  Juve 
nile  System.  While  such  methods  were  common,  in 
this  instance,  at  least,  where  he  knew  there  was  no 
reason  for  stepping  in  as  guardian,  and  a  proper  in 
vestigation  would  have  ended  in  the  System's  defeat. 
It  made  Jack's  blood  boil,  and  forthwith  he  planned 
to  effect  an  inquiry  into  the  methods  of  the  institution 
and  its  treatment  of  the  children.  He  felt,  too,  that 
the  outcome  of  an  investigation  would  be  an  aid  in 
furthering  his  bill  aimed  at  abolishing  the  institution. 

Of  course,  Jack  was  not  acquainted  with  the 
O'Neils,  nor  had  he  held  further  association  with 
them  than  being  thrown  in  touch  with  them  at  the  pre 
cinct  house.  But  long  before  this  unfortunate  occur- 

86 


Cfje  Little  §>ufferer0 


rence  he  had  singled  out  the  Juvenile  System  as  a 
brutal  parody  upon  benevolence,  and  more  than  once 
had  he  been  eager  for  a  chance  to  check  its  ravages 
upon  the  social  body. 

After  two  months'  lingering,  Harry  O'Neil  had  been 
discharged  from  the  hospital  as  cured.  But  it  was  a 
sad  home  into  which  he  entered.  His  children  were 
gone,  and  his  true,  strong  wife  had  grown  aged  and 
broken  in  spirit.  Her  dark-brown  hair  had  turned 
gray,  and  her  smooth  features  were  furrowed  from 
suffering.  The  eyes  that  always  sparkled,  now  shone 
as  a  dim  light  hid  away  in  deep  hollows. 

The  O'Neils'  savings  through  this  hardship  had  en 
tirely  been  used.  The  Thorntons,  with  only  May  on 
half  time  and  the  youngest  lad  with  a  few  dollars  a 
week,  had  scarcely  enough  for  themselves,  but  Lankey 
George  had  been  fortunate.  He  had  taken  up  his 
trade,  and  obtained  a  position  as  foreman  with  a 
building  concern,  and  regularly  he  supplied  May 
Thornton  with  sufficient  money  to  carry  on  the 
O'Neils'  household.  Lankey  had  become  a  strong 
friend  of  the  O'Neils,  but  sought  always  to  aid  them 
through  the  Thorntons,  so  as  to  avoid  the  embarrass 
ment  of  the  gratitude  of  the  unhappy  couple. 

Harry  had  been  home  from  the  hospital  now  nearly 
two  weeks,  but  was  hardly  strong  enough  to  under 
take  hard  work.  He  felt,  however,  that  he  must  do 
something,  as  he  had  not  been  accustomed  to  live  upon 
charity.  His  old  place  in  the  Planet  Mills  had  been 
filled,  but  Lankey  had  spoken  for  him  at  a  near-by 
lumber  yard,  where  his  firm  bought  building  material, 
so  his  prospects  were  good  for  the  future  when  he 
became  ready  for  work. 

One  morning,  as  he  was  going  to  his  new  job,  the 
postman  brought  Harry  O'Neil  a  letter  from  the  Juve- 

87 


Cfje  Little 


nile  System.     It  bore  the  signature  of  the  superin 
tendent,  and  read : 

"MR.  HARRY  O'NEIL, 

"DEAR  SIR  :  You  are  herewith  informed  that  Justice 
Bilking  of  the  Court  of  Special  Sessions  has  directed 
that  you  shall  pay  toward  the  support  of  your  children 
in  the  Juvenile  System  the  sum  of  $16.50.  A  failure 
to  make  this  payment  on  your  part  will  be  reported  to 
the  court  for  such  action  as  it  may  deem  proper  to 
take.  Respectfully, 

"H.  CLYDE  PRESTAGE,  Supt." 

Harry  begged  leave  to  remain  away  from  work  to 
attend  to  the  matter.  He  called  at  the  Brooklyn  branch 
of  the  Juvenile  System,  and  declared  his  willingness 
to  pay  the  demand,  providing  his  children  were  re 
turned  to  him.  The  clerk  in  charge  curtly  informed 
him  that  the  Juvenile  System  was  not  open  for  any 
proposition,  and  to  avoid  further  inconvenience  he  had 
better  pay  the  demanded  amount.  Harry  O'Neil  re 
monstrated  and  begged  to  see  some  higher  authority. 

The  superintendent  was  conveniently  at  hand,  and 
replied  with  sarcasm :  "You  would  like  to  get  your 
children,  eh?  You  think  your  $16.50  will  make  cur 
institution  rich?  Why  didn't  you  provide  a  proper 
home  for  them  ?  Your  wife  is  a  drunkard,  and  I  have 
evidence  that  she  runs  with  other " 

The  superintendent  did  not  finish  his  last  sentence. 
Harry  had  understood  him.  The  accusation  of  drunk 
enness  struck  him  as  vile,  but  when  he  touched  upon 
his  wife's  fidelity  O'Neil,  inflamed  with  fury,  reached 
over  the  railing  and  demanded :  "Another  word  out  of 
your  foul  lips  and  I  shall  get  in  there  and  tear  you  to 
pieces." 

The  strong  words  and  threatening  combat  drew 
other  assistance  from  within  an  adjoining  room.  The 

88 


Cfie  Hfttle  Sufferers 


superintendent,  a  moral  coward,  a  "brow-beater"  of 
weak  women  and  children,  in  whose  contact  he  was 
mostly  thrown,  felt  that  Harry  would  attack  him,  and 
stepped  behind  his  assistant  and  edged  his  way  into 
an  adjoining  office.  The  assistant  saw  in  O'Neil  a 
man  who  could  not  be  trifled  with,  and  in  a  meditat 
ing  tone,  replied:  "I'm  sorry,  my  good  man;  but  this 
is  but  a  branch  of  the  Juvenile  System;  the  main  of 
fice  is  over  in  Manhattan.  We  cannot  release  anyone 
unless  by  approval  of  the  board  of  directors." 

Mr.  O'Neil  answered :  "Well,  your  branch  seems  to 
have  taken  it  upon  itself  to  kidnap  my  children " 

"It's  no  use  arguing,  my  friend.  This  is  the  rule  of 
the  System ;  if  you  wish  you  may  go  to  the  main  of 
fice,"  broke  in  the  assistant  lightly.  Not  caring  to  in 
flame  the  man  further,  he  bowed  and  left  for  an  inner 
room. 

Harry  concluded  that  it  was  useless  to  proceed  far 
ther  here,  and  prepared  for  the  head-quarters  of  the 
Juvenile  System  in  Manhattan.  As  he  entered  the 
spacious  office  he  was  met  by  a  young  man  who  in 
quired  his  mission.  Though  treated  politely,  he  was 
firmly  made  to  understand  that  there  laid  no  remedy 
at  present ;  it  was  a  matter  of  the  special  committee  to 
decide  upon  children's  release,  at  whose  option  they 
were  bound  to  the  age  of  twenty-one. 

Heart-broken,  O'Neil  went  home  to  his  longing  wife. 
While  he  was  always  open  and  confided  everything  to 
her,  he  felt  it  here  his  duty  to  deceive  her.  Patting 
her  sunken  cheeks,  he  cheerfully  said :  "Don't  worry, 
my  Nell,  we'll  soon  have  the  little  ones  back." 

The  Juvenile  System  condescendingly  grants  a  day 
of  grace  to  the  unfortunate  mothers  and  children.  It 
is  termed  visiting  day,  and  occurs  at  a  stated  time  at 
the  last  of  the  month.  The  institution  is  open  for 
visitors  from  one  o'clock,  noon,  until  five  P.  M.  All 

89 


C6e  Lfttle 


inmates  on  that  afternoon  are  permitted  to  throw  off 
their  rough  blue  jeans  working-  costumes  for  a  better 
attire,  so  as  to  look  neat  and  attractive,  and  thus  imbue 
a  feeling  of  extreme  care  and  attention  among  rela 
tives  and  strangers  who  may  call.  The  windows, 
floors,  and  panels  of  the  hall,  library,  and  reception 
room  for  that  afternoon  have  been  carefully  cleaned 
and  scrubbed,  so  the  abode  resembles  a  saintly  retreat. 

While  Harry  would  have  loved  to  visit  his  little 
ones,  he  feared  to  lose  his  job,  as  they  were  pretty 
busy  and  he  had  then  been  there  less  than  a  week. 
Therefore,  he  applied  for  a  special  permit  for  a  Sun^- 
day  visit,  which  he  heard  was  now  and  then  granted. 
It  was  decided  that  Mrs.  O'Neil  should  go.  May 
Thornton  wished  to  accompany  her,  but  it  was  her 
day  at  work,  and  Katie  could  not  leave  the  home,  as 
her  injured  brother  needed  constant  attention.  The 
elder  Mrs.  Thornton  at  this  time  was  down  with  a 
severe  attack  of  rheumatism. 

Though  Mrs.  O'Neil  was  robbed  of  the  joy  of  hav 
ing  her  children  constantly  with  her,  she  was  momen 
tarily  happy  to  be  permitted  to  see  them.  She  bought 
them  candies,  fruits,  and  little  delicacies.  Her  broken 
heart  was  light  as  she  left  the  car  near  the  institution 
and  entered  the  corridor,  where  she  hoped  to  meet 
and  embrace  them. 

"Oh,  you  are  Mrs.  O'Neil?  Glad  to  meet  you;  so 
you  are  to  visit  your  little  Louise  and  the  baby  ?"  said 
the  matron,  in  a  pretended  kindness,  motioning  her  to 
take  a  seat  till  little  Louise  came  downstairs.  "The 
baby,  I  am  sorry,  you  cannot  see  to-day ;  we  sent  it  to 
the  hospital  ward  at  Randalls  Island ;  we  couldn't  have 
it  here,  you  know.  But  it's  in  good  hands ;  the  city  is 
taking  care  of  it,"  continued  the  matron  encourag 
ingly. 

90 


C6e  Little 


A  shudder  went  through  the  mother.  Her  little 
speck  of  happiness  had  gone;  she  was  bewildered. 
Why  did  they  send  away  her  baby  to  the  hospital 
ward?  Was  it  sick  or  dying?  Why  was  her  little 
Louise  not  here  to  meet  her?  Where  was  Willie? 
These  and  other  questions  surged  through  her  trou 
bled  mind.  The  shock  nearly  dazed  her  anew.  She 
caught  the  arms  of  her  chair  to  support  herself  and 
tried  to  speak,  but  her  tongue  seemed  paralyzed. 

The  matron,  noticing  Mrs.  O'Neil's  agitation,  went 
on  cheerfully:  "Your  children  are  all  right.  Your 
Louise  is  a  good,  pretty  child,  and  is  getting  the  very 
best  of  care.  The  Juvenile  System  is  an  institution 
which  every  mother  should  be  proud  of." 

Mrs.  O'Neil  suddenly  gained  her  faculties  and  de 
manded  impatiently :  "Is  baby  ill  ?  Why  don't  Louise 
and  Willie  come?" 

"Why,  now,  my  good  woman,  the  baby  is  not  ill,  but 
don't  you  know  we  can't  be  bothered  with  such  tiny  lit 
tle  ones.  Louise  is  dressing  herself.  But  your  boy  is 
not  here ;  he's  up  on  the  farm  at  Hastings  Hill  among 
the  bigger  lads,"  said  the  matron,  in  the  same  forced 
tone. 

At  this  moment  Louise  came  down  the  stairway. 
She  noticed  her  mother,  and  both  flew  to  embrace 
each  other.  Poor  Mrs.  O'Neil  dropped  on  her  knees 
and  hugged  her  child  around  the  waist,  while  the 
child  threw  her  tiny  arms  around  her  mother's  neck. 
Both  kissed  each  other  wildly.  "I  knew  you  was 
downstairs,  but  I  had  to  make  the  teacher's  bed,  clean 
the  windows,  and  help  other  girls  to  scrub  the  matron's 
room  before  I  was  permitted " 

The  matron  never  allows  the  hardships  imposed 
upon  the  little  ones  to  be  laid  open  to  parents  or  vis 
itors,  and  so  in  feigned  kindness  she  interrupted  little 

91 


Cjje  Little  §>ueferer$ 


Louise  by  saying:  "You  are  so  happy  to  see  your 
mother,  poor  child,  that  you  imagine  what  you  really 
would  do." 

As  Louise  entered  the  visiting  room,  her  eyes  and 
thoughts  fell  upon  her  mother,  and  she  had  not  no 
ticed  the  matron.  Though  she  was  only  a  recently  ar 
rived  inmate  in  the  institution,  she  had  already  learned 
that  she  must  hold  her  tongue  regarding  her  duties 
and  the  System's  course.  Like  other  children  of  the 
institution,  she  had  reason  to  fear  the  matron. 

While  the  matron  wore  an  air  of  pretended  kind 
ness,  her  presence  chilled  Louise.  The  poor  child 
trembled  as  she  tried  to  whisper  and  talk  to  her 
mother,  frequently  stealing  glances  at  her  guardian. 

Mrs.  O'Neil  appreciated  the  situation,  but  was  help 
less  in  assisting  her  child.  This  forced  embarrass 
ment  at  last  culminated  in  the  girl  breaking  out  in  a 
spell  of  piteous  crying.  She  buried  her  little  head 
into  her  mother's  breast  and  sobbed  convulsively.  She 
uttered  no  word,  but  in  spasms  of  sobs  clung  faster 
and  faster  to  her  mother,  who  sat  straining  herself  to 
withhold  her  own  sorrow,  begging  the  little  one  to  be 
brave. 

Matrons  of  such  institutions  are  not  required  to 
have  a  too  sensitive  nature,  for  fear  that  their  better 
inclination  would  revolt.  Yet  in  this  instance  she  was 
sensibly  affected.  She  arose  and  walked  over  and 
kindly  stroked  the  child  whose  little  body  convulsively 
shook  with  her  smothered  sobs.  "Be  brave,  my  little 
child;  don't  fear  me.  I  assure  you  I  shall  be  really 
good  to  you  so  long  as  you  are  with  me." 

That  this  bidding  came  from  the  matron's  heart  was 
manifest;  she  wiped  a  tear  from  her  eyes,  and  left 
the  room,  saying :  "My  dear  little  girl,  tell  your  mother 
all ;  I  shall  not  punish  you." 

Other  visitors,  relatives,  or  friends  now  came.    Sev- 

92 


JLittle 


eral  of  the  inmates  had  reached  the  reception  room. 
Many  touching  and  pathetic  scenes  were  witnessed 
through  the  meeting  of  parents  and  children.  Little 
ones  who  had  been  in  the  institution  but  a  short  time 
spoke  openly  and  freely,  but  those  who  had  stayed 
there  for  some  while  whispered  and  in  their  weighing 
words  would  keep  their  eyes  roving  about  in  the  di 
rection  where  the  matron  or  attendants  sat  with  com 
placent  smiles  and  watching  demeanor. 

Mrs.  O'Neil  remained  there  to  the  end  of  the  visit 
ing  hour.  The  matron  who  had  entertained  her  then 
appeared  and  bade  her  good-bye.  She  said  encourag 
ingly:  "Do  not  worry  for  your  child,  so  long  I  am 
here  with  her."  In  a  low  tone  she  added  earnestly, 
as  she  pressed  her  hand :  "I  feel  that  you  are  one  of 
the  good  many  wronged  mothers.  You  should  have 
the  custody  of  your  own  children.  I  am  working  here 
for  hire,  and  wish  to  God  I  could  find  other  employ 
ment  and  not  be  forced  to  play  sympathy  here  and 
give  a  wolf's  tender." 

The  visit  to  the  institution  had  not  invoked  a  better 
spirit  in  the  unfortunate  mother.  She  worried  about 
the  baby  and  about  Willie,  whom  she  had  not  seen,  and 
little  Louise's  tale  about  the  institution  which  she  had 
been  permitted  to  learn  in  full  depressed  her  that  she 
could  hardly  breathe.  The  child  complained  of  the 
work  exacted  from  the  tiny  children.  As  Mrs.  O'Neil 
understood  it,  it  was  a  place  of  detention  for  little 
underfed  slaves.  All  the  neatness,  cleanness,  and  pol 
ished  interior  represented  hours  of  child  slavery. 
Aroused  from  their  childish  morning  slumber,  it  was 
sewing,  mending,  polishing,  sweeping,  cleaning,  scour 
ing,  scrubbing,  washing,  bed-making,  dish-washing, 
pantry  and  kitchen  work  and  general  labor  from  the 
early  hour  till  tired  knees,  arms,  and  backs  found  ref 
uge  in  their  lightly  covered  cots.  The  only  real  rest 

93 


Cbe  Little  Sufferers; 


afforded  them  was  at  their  few  hours  of  schooling, 
where  the  poor  grade  of  teachers  sat  yawning  and 
eager  to  be  rid  of  them.  The  little  inmates  had  to 
toil  and  the  institution  was  kept  in  proud  condition 
on  the  drain  of  their  youthful  bodies. 

Perhaps,  with  all,  had  the  little  ones  been  properly 
fed  and  nourished,  their  young  faces  would  not  have 
been  blotted  with  scars  of  premature  age.  Louise  had 
complained  of  their  daily  routine  of  food,  which  con 
sisted  of  oatmeal  and  molasses,  dry  bread,  with  a  cup 
of  thin  milk,  bean  soup  and  pickles  and  some  thick  stew 
without  a  morsel  of  meat  in  it.  A  heavy  plum  pudding 
was  the  only  extra  allowance,  and  this  was  dealt  out 
each  Sunday.  But  once  the  child  had  the  taste  of 
fish,  a  morsel  left  from  one  of  the  teacher's  plate  and 
given  her  in  appreciation  of  extra  service  she  had 
tendered. 

Butter  was  as  scarce  as  fish  and  meats.  Eggs  they 
never  saw  nor  fruits  nor  delicacies,  unless  parents 
brought  them  on  visiting  days.  None  of  them,  while 
there,  ever  enjoyed  as  good  a  meal  as  is  afforded  even 
among  the  poorest  of  the  poor. 

These  deplorable  conditions  preyed  greatly  upon 
the  poor  woman's  mind.  She  feared  that  her  boy  fared 
similarly  and  was  overworked  and  underfed.  And 
what  would  become  of  her  infant?  She  hoped  it  fared 
better,  as  it  was  in  the  city's  hands.  While  not  receiv 
ing  home  care  and  food,  it  was  at  least  under  no  pri 
vate  money-making  scheme,  like  that  of  the  Juvenile 
System. 

That  night  she  complained  to  her  husband.  She 
did  not  weep,  nor  could  she  weep ;  but  she  was  singu 
larly  depressed.  She  felt  so  heavy-hearted  and  so 
tired  and  weak  that  she  scarcely  could  move  about. 
While  she  had  managed  to  cook  Harry's  supper,  she 

94 


JLfttle 


could  not  walk  about  to  clear  the  table.  Hopelessly 
worn  out,  and  as  one  longing  for  eternal  rest,  in  de 
spair  she  threw  herself  upon  her  bed. 

CHAPTER  X. 

LANKEY'S  ARRAIGNMENT  OF  THE  SYSTEM. 

The  next  few  days  followed  uneventfully.  It  was  a 
Saturday  noon  and  half  holiday.  Harry  had  just  re 
ceived  his  first  full  week's  pay.  Though  he  had  been 
at  work  two  full  weeks,  it  was  a  custom  of  the  firm 
to  hold  back  one  week's  salary.  As  he  opened  his 
envelope  which  contained  fifteen  dollars  he  said  to 
himself :  "I  think  I  had  better  pay  the  Juvenile  Sys 
tem  half  of  its  demand  and  the  remaining  eight  dol 
lars  and  twenty-five  cents  next  week,  or  else  I  fear 
my  little  ones  will  suffer  for  my  show  of  disobedi 
ence."  He  had  noticed  a  sign  displayed  in  the  office 
of  the  Juvenile  System  to  the  effect  that  the  office  kept 
open  every  day  as  late  as  eight  P.  M.,  and  he  decided, 
after  changing  his  working  attire,  to  prepare  thither. 

As  he  reached  the  entrance  to  his  home  he  was  ac 
costed  by  a  man  dressed  in  a  blue  serge  suit,  who 
stood  leaning  against  the  sill  of  the  show  window  of 
the  store  floor.  "Are  you  Harry  O'Neil?"  he  in 
quired,  stepping  toward  him. 

O'Neil's  troubles  of  late  had  made  him  somewhat 
nervous.  He  had  suffered  much,  and  learned  to  look 
upon  guilt,  innocence,  and  justice  as  mere  courses  of 
fate;  so  momentarily  he  looked  uneasy,  stared,  and 
made  no  reply. 

"There  is  no  use  denying  it,"  quickly  applied  the 
stranger,  and  handed  him  a  paper.  "I'm  a  court  offi 
cer;  this  is  a  summons  for  you  to  obey." 

95 


Cbe  Little  §>uffeter$ 


Harry  gave  a  sigh  of  relief  as  the  detailed  officer 
executed  his  mission  and  left.  "Any  more  trouble  to 
come  my  way?"  he  remarked,  as  he  opened  the  paper 
and  read :  "The  Court  of  Special  Session.  The  Peo 
ple,  complainant  vs.  Harry  O'Neil,  defendant." 

He  pondered  while  he  continued  to  read.  It  or 
dered  him  to  appear  in  court  on  a  certain  day  under 
threats  of  certain  penalty  for  his  failure  to  obey.  "The 
People  vs.  Harry  O'Neil,"  he  murmured.  He  could 
not  grasp  the  idea,  as  he  had  committed  no  crime  in 
which  the  people  or  the  public  could  find  cause  to 
prosecute.  But  then  again  he  realized  by  his  last  ex 
periences  that  justice  was  crimsoned  with  guilt,  and 
that  innocence  was  no  adequate  shield  for  protection. 

Suddenly  it  occurred  to  him  that  he  had  received  a 
letter  a  few  days  previously  from  the  Juvenile  Sys 
tem  under  threats  of  prosecution  for  his  failure  to  pay 
their  demand.  He  drew  the  letter  from  an  inside 
pocket  and  re-read  it.  True  enough,  it  mentioned  the 
Court  of  Special  Session,  and  also  one  of  the  special 
judges'  name  was  attached.  "But  why,  then,"  thought 
he,  "does  it  not  say  the  Juvenile  System  against  Harry 
O'Neil,  instead  of  the  People?" 

Harry  was  no  scholar,  but  he  possessed  sound  in 
telligence.  He  figured  that  there  must  be  some  rad 
ical  wrong  with  our  laws  and  courts  where  it  permits 
a  private  corporation  like  the  Juvenile  System  to  cloak 
themselves  as  the  People  and  prosecute  for  selfish 
ends  in  the  People's  or  Public's  name.  He  deposited 
the  papers  in  his  pocket  and  decided,  instead  of  going 
to  the  office  of  the  Juvenile  System,  as  he  had  planned, 
to  wait  and  have  a  talk  with  his  friend  Lankey  George, 
who  had  some  knowledge  beyond  his  in  the  matter  of 
law. 

Lankey,  who  was  a  steady  visitor  at  the  O'Neils, 

96 


Little 


was  sitting  at  the  kitchen  table  and  reading  the  morn 
ing  news  as  Harry  entered.  It  was  half  holiday,  too, 
upon  Lankey 's  job.  He  knew  that  Mrs.  O'Neil  was 
sick  in  bed  and  unable  to  provide  her  husband's  din 
ner,  so  he  had  hurried  there  in  time  and  brought  with 
him  meat  and  vegetables  for  a  good  meal  which  his 
good  friend,  May  Thornton,  was  now  preparing. 

Katie  Thornton  had  obtained  another  position  in 
which  she  was  to  start  the  following  Monday,  so  her 
sister  May  concluded  as  her  firm  was  not  overbusy,  to 
stay  away  from  work  and  remain  daily  in  attendance 
upon  Mrs.  O'Neil,  who  was  constantly  in  bed,  help 
less,  and  too  weak  to  provide  meals  for  herself  and 
husband.  It  was  a  great  sacrifice  on  May's  part,  but 
she  had  learned  to  love  Mrs.  O'Neil  for  her  good 
qualities,  and  greatly  sympathized  with  her  in  her  af 
flictions. 

Lankey  George  was  studying  May  Thornton. 
Though  young,  she  was  a  woman  in  all  respects,  and 
very  much  to  his  liking.  They  had  been  together  a 
great  deal  of  late  and  entertained  much  of  the  same 
feeling  toward  each  other.  While  George  was  a  good 
deal  older,  he  was  very  much  of  a  man,  and  looked 
young  for  his  age.  He  had  greatly  improved  in  per 
sonal  care  and  habits  since  he  had  met  May,  and  very 
often  she  chided  him  for  any  laxness  she  detected. 

Harry  O'Neil  could  not  thank  May  enough;  his 
wife  had  always  pictured  her  as  a  true  angel,  and  he 
learned  to  know  it  himself.  Much  of  the  assistance 
was  derived  from  Lankey,  however,  who  did  it  with 
out  thought  of  reward.  But  Harry  now  bore  a  broth 
erly  feeling  toward  George,  and  would  not  have  done 
less  if  positions  were  reversed. 

May  had  prepared  some  broth  for  Mrs.  O'Neil, 
which  she  partook  of  sparingly,  and,  while  the  men- 

97 


Cfje  Little  §>ufferer$ 


folks  sat  a*  their  noon  meal  in  the  kitchen,  she  dished 
something  out  for  herself,  and  sat  in  the  bedroom 
within  view  of  the  sick  woman  and  ate  her  dinner. 

"It  is  a  great  time  they  are  having  along  the  canal 
at  the  coal  pockets,"  began  Lankey,  putting  down  his 
paper.  "The  yard  I  worked  in  is  burnt  down  by  the 
strikers,  and  my  old  fellow-worker,  Flanagan,  is  in 
the  hospital  with  a  fractured  skull.  The  poor  fellow 
was  taken  for  a  scab  as  he  came  out  of  the  yard  with 
some  clothes,  and  a  strike  sympathizer  hit  him  with 
a  brick." 

"Those  strikes  are  not  happy  occurrences,"  replied 
Harry.  "One  reduced  me  down  to  where  I  am  to 
day.  I  sympathize  greatly  with  the  men  who  strike 
for  more  pay,  when  they  need  it,  for  they  are  ground 
down  to  the  lowest  ebb  of  living.  And  I  also  greatly 
sympathize  with  the  scabs  who  are  forced,  by  their 
own  wants,  to  take  hold  of  something.  Many  scabs 
are  good  men,  it  is  but  their  temporary  position  what 
makes  them  scabs ;  they  are  as  anxious  as  the  strikers 
to  get  as  much  wages  as  they  can,  and  would  them 
selves  be  ready  to  strike  if  they  dared  to.  It  is  their 
stomachs,  their  needs,  my  friend,"  ended  he  sadly, 
thinking  of  his  late  and  former  position  with  a  family 
to  provide  for  and  the  wolf  at  the  door. 

"That  is  so,"  agreed  Lankey.  "In  my  judgment, 
where  all  is  controlled  by  trust  and  monopolism,  and 
no  real  supply  and  demand  counts,  there  should  be 
means  of  public  arbitration  to  regulate  compensation 
of  the  producing  element,  the  laborers,  in  order  that 
they  can  exist." 

"You  are  upon  the  right  issue,  George,"  said  Harry, 
"methods  and  means  to  properly  live  and  exist  is  as 
much  of  a  public  concern  as  is  the  general  health  it 
self,  and  should  be  regulated  on  basis  of  cost  of  liv- 

98 


Cfie  Little  Cofferers 


ing  and  supply  and  demand  of  labor.  Were  hours  and 
wages  regulated  by  a  public  commission,  the  saintly 
trust  people  would  then  be  at  liberty  to  swell  their 
price,  as  the  money  value  on  labor  would  be  in  con 
formity,  and  follow  suit." 

"Yes,  that  would  be  chips  for  money,  and  money 
for  chips,  and  enough  of  it  to  play  the  game  through," 
jokingly  remarked  Lankey.  "The  whole  of  life 
throughout  is  exchanging  products.  When  the  public 
is  compelled  to  pay  the  trusts'  demands,  the  trusts 
should  be  compelled  to  pay  the  public's  demand." 

"Yes,  it's  a  poor  rule  that  won't  work  both  ways," 
responded  Harry.  "At  present  it  works  only  one  way, 
and  that  is  the  trusts'  end  of  it.  Not  until  the  public 
takes  hold  of  it  at  the  other  end  will  starvation,  hunger 
and  strikes  be  avoided.  Strikes,  idleness,  and  starva 
tion  naturally  follow  ill  causes." 

"You  are  quite  a  philosopher,"  complimented  George 
laughingly,  "but  while  we  speak  of  it,  tell  me  about 
the  strike  which  affected  you." 

"Oh,  yes,  that  was  the  Rapid  Transit.  It  was  a 
Wall  Street  deal,  but  it  was  said  that  some  .million 
aires  sold  short,  went  short,  or  whatever  we  call  it, 
and  got  cornered  and  bought  out  the  labor  leaders  to 
force  a  strike  so  the  stock  would  decline  sufficiently  to 
let  them  out  even." 

"Did  the  stock  drop  ?" 

"I  suppose  it  did.  At  all  events,  there  was  a  great 
tie-up.  You  remember  the  militia  were  out  and  the 
people  ran  riot.  In  my  judgment  there  was  no  cause 
for  strike  at  the  time,  but  it  was  a  case  of  being  mis 
led  by  leaders." 

"Just  so,  as  I  said  a  while  ago,"  recalled  Lankey. 
"Had  there  been  a  public  arbitration  or  commission, 
I  suppose  things  would  not  have  run  that  way.  The 

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C&e  Little 


road  would  have  run  until  matters  could  have  been 
looked  into.  Truly,  it  would  do  away  with  much  flim- 
flamming  from  all  sides." 

"Yes,  and  it  would  do  away  with  all  labor  unions 
and  labor  leaders ;  the  maintenance  of  either  is  ex 
pensive,  and  they  effect  nothing  but  grievance  and 
discontent.  A  regular  established  public  board  of  ar 
bitration  could  compel  and  arrange  things  to  corre 
spond  with  conditions  of  things.  Well,  ah,  but  what's 
the  use  of  talking?"  he  said  abruptly,  with  an  expres 
sion  of  disgust  upon  his  face. 

Lankey  George  reached  for  the  paper  and,  after  a 
moment,  remarked :  "I  see  that  Roundsman  O'Sulli- 
van  received  a "  Here  he  halted  a  moment,  re 
flecting,  though  without  changing  the  position  of  his 
paper.  It  had  just  occurred  to  him  that  this  O'Sulli- 
van  was  former  Patrolman  O'Sullivan,  who  had 
gained  his  promotion  to  roundsman  principally  at 
Harry's  cost,  and  he  did  not  care  to  recall  those  sad 
experiences  to  his  friend. 

Harry  had  not  caught  the  officer's  name,  nor  did 
he  expect  any  cause  for  repression,  so  he  blandly 
asked :  "What  did  you  say  the  roundsman  received  ?" 

"He  acted  so  brutally  with  his  night-stick  in  dealing 
with  strikers  and  sympathizers  that  a  gang  assailed 
him.  He  was  kicked  and  beaten  so  he  is  not  expected 
to  live." 

"I  am  sorry  for  the  poor  fellow,"  cried  Harry, 
"though  I  do  not  approve  of  police  officers  taking  an 
active  hand  in  such  matters  one  way  or  another,  be 
yond  protecting  the  innocent  public.  Who  knows  but 
that  those  uniformed  officers  might  themselves  either 
have  been  among  the  scabs  or  among  the  strikers  if 
circumstances  had  not  favored  them  better?" 

"You  are  talking  good  sense,"  said  Lankey.     He 

100 


C6e  Lfttle  Sufferers! 


would  have  said  more,  but  just  then  May  entered. 
Their  eyes  met,  and  he  thought  of  something  else. 

The  meal  having  been  finished,  May  wanted  to  clear 
the  table  and  wash  up.  "Say,  child,"  said  Lankey, 
"I'm  not  born  to  do  a  woman's  work,  nor  do  I  like  a 
man  who  does  it  unless  on  stated  occasion ;  but  I  think 
you  are  entitled  to  a  little  rest  while  Harry  and  I  do 
our  own  cleaning  up.  I  have  cooked  and  washed 
dishes  many  a  time  when  I  found  it  part  of  my  duty, 
and  I  can  do  it  again,  and  I  am  sure  my  friend  can 
do  it,  too.  If  you'll  let  us  look  out  for  this  end  of  the 
house  a  little  while  I  will  feel  you  do  me  a  favor,"  he 
ended  smilingly,  and  lightly  pushed  her  away. 

This  was  much  to  Harry's  liking;  household  duties 
were  to  him  not  altogether  new.  Though  he  would 
prefer  a  hard  day's  physical  labor  to  a  woman's  mo 
notonous  work,  he  had,  like  good  men  among  the  poor 
class  where  servants  are  not  within  reach,  given  a 
hand  now  and  then  to  relieve  his  wife,  whose  cares 
with  the  children  at  times  overburdened  her.  Both  of 
these  strong  men  thereupon  began  to  clear  the  table 
and  wash  their  dishes  and  put  them  in  place,  as  though 
it  were  their  customary  work.  Upon  the  end  of  their 
task  May  had  returned  from  the  sick  room  and  nat 
urally  complimented  them. 

Both  men  now  lit  their  pipes  and  re-seated  them 
selves  at  the  table.  Harry  drew  the  court  summons 
from  his  pocket  and  handed  it  to  George,  asking  him 
the  meaning  of  it.  At  the  same  time  he  handed  him 
the  letter  he  had  received  from  the  Juvenile  System 
a  few  days  previously. 

"Why,  of  course  this  complaint,"  quickly  replied 
Lankey,  "is  the  Juvenile  System  against  you,  and  not 
the  People,  as  it  reads.  I'm  not  a  lawyer,  but  I  dare 
say  upon  common  reason  that  they  have  no  more  right 

101 


Cjjc  Little 


to  use  the  claim  of  the  people  than  any  other  private 
concern  that  may  sue  you.  To  be  sure,"  he  continued, 
"the  courts  and  judges  commit  children  to  the  insti 
tution,  but  private  as  it  is  in  its  tenor,  where  neither 
books  nor  accounts  are  open  for  public  inspection,  I 
doubt  much  that  any  higher  court  would  find  the  term 
legal.  Nay,  I  doubt  if  the  true  interpretation  was  put 
to  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States,  if  it  would 
not  be  found  that  the  commitment  by  the  judges  and 
all  the  System's  courses  are  illegal.  It  is  as  though 
the  Juvenile  System  rules  and  regulates  our  courts 
and  judges  (which  it  does,  however)  and  take  pro 
ceedings  above  the  statutes  and  it  makes  a  dishcloth 
out  of  the  Constitution  of  the  land." 

"Well,  what  would  you  advise  me  to  do?" 
"Why,  Harry,  if  you  pay  the  Juvenile  System's  de 
mand  they  profit  by  it  and  will  continue  to  hold  the 
children  in  order  to  have  you  to  draw  on,  and  again 
you  take  your  chance.  The  court  may  impose  a  sen 
tence  upon  you  at  from  one  to  three  months  in  the 
workhouse.  The  Juvenile  System  people  have  every 
thing  to  gain  and  nothing  to  lose.  It  reaches  out  for 
the  children  to  have  a  full  house  of  young  ones.  Of 
course,  it  is  rather  a  show-card  for  them  to  have  a 
big  stall  of  youngsters.  Philanthropists  and  the  char 
itably  inclined  donate  out  of  good  faith  in  their  wish 
to  provide  good  homes  for  the  little  ones.  Were  the 
institution  empty,  the  contributions  would  cease;  nat 
urally  it  is  part  of  the  System's  scheme  to  have  their 
hopper  full  to  show  off  with,  and  they  generally  at 
tack  and  reach  out  for  the  better  poor  so  they  can  levy 
on  both  sides.  While  the  donors  give  to  the  institu 
tion's  support,  the  System,  with  aid  of  courts  and 
judges,  impose  board  money  upon  the  parents  of  the 
unfortunate  children.  It  leaves,  as  you  see,  a  surplus 
from  both  sides,  which  is  ample  for  the  directors  and 

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C6e  Little 


officers  of  the  institution  to  live  on  like  lords  and  grand 
dukes  among  the  swells  at  Newport  and  Tuxedo  or 
to  travel  abroad  and  mix  among  London's  aristo 
crats." 

"My  observation  has  been  that  the  System  never 
reaches  out  for  the  real  poor  where  there  is  absolutely 
no  chance  to  collect  board  money.  If  such  are  thrust 
upon  them,  they  manage  to  serf  them  out  to  far  west 
ern  farms  and  in  turn  draw  upon  these  for  dona 
tions.  Another  note  which  has  come  before  me  is  that 
stupid,  incorrigible,  backward,  crippled,  or  deformed 
children,  or  anyone  the  least  lacking  physically  or 
mentally,  this  Juvenile  System  manages  to  shove  over 
upon  the  community  or  public  charity.  Furthermore, 
any  who,  through  ill  treatment  in  the  Juvenile  Sys 
tem,  where  frequently  children  decline  physically  or 
mentally  or  otherwise,  and  thus  become  a  burden  to 
the  System,  are  sent  to  Randalls  Island  wards  or 
public  supporting  quarters. 

"The  Juvenile  institution's  greediness  is  in  all  in 
stances  linked  with  shame.  The  practices  in  some  are, 
besides,  inhuman  and  indecent,"  continued  he.  "It  is 
a  fact  that  girls  with  luxurious  growths  of  pretty  hair 
have  suffered  the  injury  of  being  sheared  and  their 
pretty  locks  have  been  disposed  of  by  the  System's 
officials  to  the  highest  bidder  among  the  dealers  in 
human  hair.  The  System's  revenue  upon  that  score  is 
said  to  be  tremendous,  but  can  only  be  guessed  at.  The 
records  of  the  Randalls  Island  wards,  the  System's 
handy  agent,  where  the  shearing  is  done,  could  prob 
ably  disclose  how  many  crops  of  marketable  hair  is 
trimmed  and  turned  over  to  the  Juvenile  officers. 

"The  System  wants  all  the  benefit  there  is  in  it.  It 
means  much  to  have  a  strong,  clean  stock  of  children. 
These  little  serfs  with  their  own  labor  practically 
work  the  home  farm  at  Hastings  Hill,  New  York, 

103 


C6e  Little  S>ufferer0 


and  support  the  institution  and  themselves.  Thus  all 
money  reaching  the  institution  from  private  donors 
and  forced  from  children's  parents  is  practically  clean 
profit.  Besides,  our  State  government  pays  into  the 
System's  treasury  fifty  thousand  dollars  per  year.  It 
is  a  huge  shame,"  he  went  on,  in  bitter  anger,  "that  a 
people  of  our  day  can  be  so  imposed  upon.  It  uses; 
nay,  rules,  our  public  courts,  judges,  hospitals,  and 
wards.  It  exacts  money  from  the  public  treasury;  it 
draws  money  from  poor  parents;  it  deceives  and  de 
frauds  the  generously  inclined  out  of  handsome  sums 
of  money;  but,  worst  of  all,  it  half  feeds  and  over 
works  these  little  immature  children  so  that  upon  their 
release  they  are  like  withered  flowers,  all  nature  and 
spirit  is  crushed  out  of  them,  criminally  tainted,  worth 
less  and  useless ;  they  die  a  burden  to  themselves  and 
to  society,"  ended  he,  wiping  away  a  dew  of  perspira 
tion  which  had  found  its  way  through  his  sincere  and 
passionate  argument.  He  would  probably  have  said 
more,  but  just  then  May  brought  a  letter  and  laid  it 
in  front  of  Mr.  O'Neil. 

May  again  withdrew,  though  only  after  having  ex 
changed  a  few  happy  glances  with  George.  That  they 
were  fast  growing  into  a  deep  affection  for  each  other 
was  easily  discerned.  Harry  opened  the  letter  while 
Lankey,  like  a  boy  of  twenty,  rested  his  cheeks  be 
tween  his  two  flat  hands  with  the  elbows  resting  upon 
his  knees. 

"It's  a  pass  from  the  Juvenile  System  allowing  me 
to  visit  my  Willie  to-morrow,"  happily  exclaimed 
Harry,  looking  at  his  friend's  peculiar  position,  though 
without  taking  particular  notice. 

"What — what — what  did  you  say?"  quickly  said 
Lankey,  straightening  himself  and  smiling,  though 
whether  he  smiled  from  a  dear  reflection  of  May  Thorn 
ton,  or  from  finding  himself  in  so  awkward  a  position, 

104 


JLittlc 


he  did  not  disclose.  However,  Harry  repeated  his 
words. 

May  again  entered  the  room  where  they  sat,  as 
Mrs.  O'Neil  was  sleeping  quietly.  She  took  out  from 
a  closet  a  sewing  basket,  and,  seating  herself  at  the 
table,  began  to  mend  a  gown  which  Mrs.  O'Neil  had 
torn.  Harry  told  her  of  the  pass  and  of  his  desire  to 
go  and  visit  the  boy  in  the  morning,  as  long  as  she 
was  so  kind  as  to  stay  with  his  sick  wife. 

"I  love  Mrs.  O'Neil  as  a  sister,  and  would  give  my 
life  to  save  her.  I  shall  not  leave  the  house  until  she 
is  able  to  be  up  and  about.  I  promised  her  that,  and 
I'll  keep  my  word,"  said  May  earnestly. 

"I'll  take  a  trip  with  you  up  to  Hastings  Hills, 
Harry,"  said  Lankey. 

"And  I'll  have  a  nice  supper  ready  for  you  both 
when  you  return  home,"  chimed  in  May. 

"Well,  you  and  May  can  have  a  talk  by  yourselves 
while  I  go  out  to  the  stores  and  buy  something  for 
the  little  fellow  to  make  him  happy  with  upon  our 
visit,"  said  O'Neil,  leaving  the  room. 

The  little  chat  that  May  and  Lankey  had  we  can 
reasonably  imagine  was  a  happy  one,  and  to  their 
liking.  Both  were  flushed  and  red-cheeked  and  looked 
as  happy  as  young  spooners  when  Harry  presently  re 
turned.  After  enjoying  tea  together  and  having  some 
more  discussion,  Lankey  went  home.  O'Neil  took  up 
his  night  quarters  in  a  spare  bedroom,  while  May 
joined  Mrs.  O'Neil. 


105 


C&e  Little 


CHAPTER  XI. 

A  VISIT  TO  HASTINGS  FARM. 

Sunday  was  beautifully  bright,  and  it  added  cheer 
to  Harry  O'Neil  in  his  proposed  visit.  Though  his 
sick  wife  could  not  share  with  him  the  joy  of  the  jour 
ney  to  her  boy,  she  at  least  showed  animation  at  his 
going.  For  the  first  time  since  she  took  to  her  bed 
she  sat  in  an  upright  position,  though  weak  and  scant 
of  breath,  she  spoke  a  good  deal  before  he  departed. 
Her  talk  consisted  of  longing  expressions  and  hopes 
of  future  reunion,  and  as  Harry  kissed  her  good-by 
it  was  as  though  her  soul  and  heart  accompanied  him. 
She  fell  back  upon  the  pillow,  exhausted  at  her  effort, 
but  her  face  was  full  of  expression,  ^and  there  was  a 
cheerful  and  hopeful  cast  in  her  eyes. 

Harry  went  about  with  a  happy,  light  heart.  The 
flicker  of  life  and  hope  within  his  wife  had  added  a 
fortune  in  joy  to  him,  and  the  prospect  of  seeing  his 
boy  gave  life  a  roseate  hue.  Despite  his  weight  of 
suffering,  it  was  a  happy  day,  and  what  would  it  not 
be  for  his  poor  boy,  he  fondly  pictured.  Tucking  his 
bundle  of  precious  little  gifts  under  his  arm,  he  and 
Lankey  set  out  for  the  Hastings  farms. 

"I'm  so  happy,  dear  May,  for  that  supper  you  prom 
ised  us  upon  our  return,"  smilingly  remarked  George, 
as  the  girl  bade  them  good-by. 

"You  cannot  anticipate  it  more  than  I  do."  She 
went  to  the  front  window  and  watched  the  pair  till 
they  turned  the  corner. 

Lankey  also  had  bought  some  fruit  and  candies  for 
the  boy  and  also  a  dozen  two-cent  stamps.  Harry  did 
not  quite  see  the  necessity  of  bringing  stamps  along. 
He  thought  at  least  if  writing  was  permitted  that  the 

106 


C&e  Little 


inmates  would  receive  free  postage  from  the  institu 
tion,  as  long  as  they  had  no  chance  to  earn  it. 

"Ah,  yes,  earn  it,"  said  Lankey,  with  some  little 
force.  "They  earn  it,  all  right.  There  are  boys  there 
who  work  as  much  as  a  man,  but  get  only  one  cent  a 
day." 

"One  cent  a  day?  You  are  jesting,"  exclaimed 
Harry,  in  a  doubtful  tone. 

"Why,  it's  like  this.  Boys  in  the  institution  are  put 
to  work  and  must  work.  The  lads  may  be  kept  there 
until  they  are  twenty-one  years  of  age,  and  the  law 
prescribes  that  even  a  prisoner  must  get  a  certain 
compensation  for  his  work.  To  be  within  the  law,  the 
System  had  adopted  a  minimum  scale  of  one  cent  per 
day,  though  some  earn  and  are  worth  as  much  as 
three  dollars  per  day.  As  to  writing  being  permitted, 
it  is  to  the  extent  that  letters  have  to  pass  the  censor 
ship  of  the  institution.  Never  a  letter  goes  in  or  out 
of  the  institution  that  is  not  opened  and  read  by  the 
censors.  If  matters  therein  from  either  side  is  not 
satisfactory  to  the  System,  the  letter  is  destroyed." 

"Why,  I  can  hardly  believe  it !"  cried  Harry,  in  sur 
prise  and  disgust.  "It  would  be  a  federal  offence  to 
withhold  or  open  mail.  These  inmates  are  not  mur 
derers.  Even  if  the  institution  could  be  looked  upon 
as  a  lawful  guardian,  laws  do  not  give  it  the  right  to 
open  and  withhold  mail." 

"Well,  they  do  it,  nevertheless,"  was  all  Lankey 
answered. 

Each  bought  a  paper  and  boarded  the  train,  and  for 
some  little  while  both  sat  scanning  the  news.  Sud 
denly  Lankey  brought  Harry's  attention  to  a  para 
graph,  which  read :  "Candidate  for  the  Assembly,  Jack 
Stevenson,  the  former  police  officer,  whose  dismissal 
from  the  force  was  laid  to  the  Juvenile  System,  has 
driven  the  first  nail  into  the  coffin.  The  governor  has 


Cfje  Little  §>ufferer0 


appointed  a  commission  to  look  into  the  treatment  of 
the  unfortunate  inmates  of  the  Juvenile  System,  and 
also  its  methods  of  acquiring  custody  of  the  chil 
dren." 

Three  columns  were  devoted  to  explaining  various 
accusations  and  complaints.  The  article  spoke  de 
cidedly  against  the  Juvenile  System,  and  expressed  the 
warmest  approval  of  Jack's  action,  with  wishes  of  all 
success  in  his  efforts  to  bring  to  light  the  facts. 

O'Neil  was  joyous  to  hear  it,  and  read  the  matter 
through  twice.  Lankey  George,  too,  felt  pleased,  and 
he  would  have  given  much  to  have  been  assured  of 
Jack  Stevenson's  success  in  ending  the  System's  prac 
tice.  Lankey  had  not  forgotten  Jack's  kind  turn  in 
his  difficulty,  and  there  was  perhaps  no  man  he  wished 
stronger  success.  But  he  was  skeptical  of  any  suc 
cess  in  "showing  up"  or  retarding  the  System's  prac 
tice  and  progress.  He  remembered  several  attempts 
upon  the  part  of  reformers  and  investigators,  but  the 
backing  and  influence  of  the  Juvenile  institution  upon 
every  turn  was  able  to  vindicate  it.  The  commissions 
were  wined  and  dined  and  shown  other  favors  by  the 
rich  directors  of  the  System,  and  these  attentions  on 
all  occasions  secured  a  general  good  report.  Lankey's 
observation  had  been  that  after  every  investigation  the 
System  had  so  riveted  its  armor,  as  to  be  able  to  defy 
both  the  public  and  the  Constitution.  It  would  take 
nothing  less  from  a  Martinique  calamity  to  right  con 
ditions  and  wipe  out  the  Juvenile  System. 

Lankey,  however,  did  not  wish  to  discourage  his 
friend,  nor  could  he  lend  himself  to  give  false  hopes. 
Carelessly  he  said:  "If  Jack  Stevenson  carries  out 
what  others  have  failed  in,  he  has  more  than  earned 
what  he  will  get — the  gratitude  of  tens  of  thousands — • 
for  no  better  man  than  Jack  ever  trod  within  the  As 
sembly  chamber." 

108 


Cfje  Little  Sufferers; 


"But  he's  only  a  candidate,"  reminded  Harry. 

"Oh,  that's  so;  I  forgot,"  corrected  Lankey;  "but 
whatever  failure  or  success  he  may  'meet  with  here 
after,  the  general  feeling  is  now  that  he  will  be 
elected." 

"He  was  the  officer  who  was  on  trial  for  beating  me, 
was  he  not?" 

"Yes,  but  I  believe  he  was  the  innocent  one,"  re 
sponded  Lankey,  with  warmth. 

"It's  a  pity  that  I  was  not  there.  I  swear  that  I 

could  pick  the  brute  among "  Here  he  abruptly 

halted.  His  features  changed  with  surprise.  He  had 
turned  a  page  of  his  paper  and  recognized  Jack  Stev 
enson's  picture.  "Oh,  why,"  he  cried,  gathering  him 
self,  "that  man  saved  my  life!  Another  officer  jumped 
on  top  of  my  breast,  and  this  man  pulled  him  off  with 
a  warning  to  act  humanly,  but  after  that  all  was  blank 
to  me." 

"Too  bad,  too  bad ;  but  he'll  be  vindicated  yet,"  sadly 
noted  Lankey. 

"It  will  be  a  happy  day  of  my  life  if  I  can  aid  him," 
nodded  Harry. 

At  this  point  of  their  conversation  they  had  reached 
the  end  of  their  journey  by  rail.  They  had  yet  a  great 
distance  of  ground  to  cover  by  foot,  as  the  so-termed 
Juvenile  Village  was  located  in  the  centre  of  the  great 
stretch  of  farm  land,  and  lay  farther  on.  The  extreme 
outer  parts  were  obscure  wilderness,  hilly  and  over 
grown  with  underbrush.  The  System  had  shrewdly 
selected  a  model  place,  in  that  it  required  more  than 
a  youngster's  skill  to  find  a  straight  road  in  order  to 
escape.  Nervy  and  venturesome  boys,  who  have  at 
tempted  this,  have  nearly  always  been  apprehended 
before  reaching  the  outer  limits. 

A  handsome,  broad,  well-tended  automobile  track 
ran  to  the  main  village,  but  this  was  too  far  and  too 

109 


Cije  Little  Sufferer* 


roundabout  for  pedestrians,  its  use  being  designed  for 
the  rich  directors  and  officials,  and  wealthy  contribu 
tors  and  public  men  of  standing.  Visitors,  approach 
ing  thus,  were  apt  to  wonder  at  the  coziness  and  com 
fort  which  the  children  of  the  underworld  were  de 
riving  gratis. 

Of  course,  poor  parents  had  no  money  for  automo 
bile  hire.  Weak  mothers,  who  were  the  most  frequent 
visitors,  took  any  or  all  courses  through  rough  ground, 
brush,  and  underwood,  with  an  occasional  rest  here 
and  there  till,  tired  and  footsore,  they  reached  the 
sanctum  of  their  children's  destiny.  Harry  and  George 
followed  this  same  unrelied  track.  They  had,  how 
ever,  the  advantage  that  the  sun  shone  clear,  which 
stood  for  them  as  a  compass;  it  saved  them  many  a 
turn  which  a  dark  and  sultry  day  would  have  caused. 

The  monotony  was  interrupted  only  now  and  then 
by  the  sight  of  a  tired,  sickly  mother  with  a  child  or 
two  by  her  side,  resting  upon  a  rock  or  fallen  log. 
These  were  upon  the  same  mission  as  Harry  and 
George,  but  had  not  the  same  physical  advantages. 

After  a  few  more  turns  Harry  and  his  companion 
finally  caught  sight  of  the  distant  cottages,  a  place  of 
child  serfdom.  The  distant  prospect  was  most  beauti 
ful  with  lines  of  handsomely  built  cottages,  modest  and 
neat  in  architecture,  independently  arranged.  Each 
was  surrounded  with  pretty  little  lawns  and  flower 
beds,  and  had  well-tended  pathways  leading  to  both 
entrances.  The  houses  on  either  side  had  a  front  view. 
The  shingles  of  the  roof  and  the  portals  and  exterior 
walls  and  woodwork  showed  no  lack  of  paint.  The 
windows  were  shaded  and  curtained.  In  fact,  the 
sight  bespoke  neatness  and  excellent  care,  and  appar 
ently  was  a  fit  place  to  house  a  king's  son. 

Harry's  heart  leaped  with  joy  as  they  neared  the 
cottages.  He  was  happy  at  the  thought  of  meeting 

no 


Cfte  Little 


his  son  and  the  appearance  of  the  home  banished  his 
fears  of  his  boy's  well  being.  Had  his  dear  wife  only 
been  along  to  see  the  condition  under  which  their  boy 
was  kept,  it  would  at  least,  to  some  extent,  have  re 
lieved  her  mind.  But  he  was  glad  that  he  would  have 
some  good  news  to  take  home. 

Neither  spoke  as  they  walked  in  the  direction  of  the 
cottages.  Lankey  guessed  his  friend's  thoughts,  but 
did  not  care  to  shake  his  views,  for  fear  of  depressing 
his  spirit  upon  meeting  his  boy. 

The  cottages  were  arranged  and  known  by  numbers, 
and  were  some  fifty  rods  apart  from  one  another. 
The  one  in  which  Willie  O'Neil  was  assigned  with 
nineteen  other  boys,  was  known  as  No.  40.  Upon 
inquiry  the  cottage  was  pointed  out.  The  two  visitors 
turned  into  the  neat  path  towards  the  entrance  and 
pressed  the  electric  button.  Harry  hugged  his  bundle 
tight  as  he  heard  sounds  at  the  door.  His  heart,  beat 
ing  with  hope  that  it  was  his  boy  whom  he  longed  to 
embrace. 

The  door  was  opened  by  a  boy.  It  was  not  Willie, 
but  a  lad  about  a  year  or  so  younger.  They  were 
ushered  within  and  invited  to  take  a  seat  in  the  sitting 
room  till  the  matron  came.  The  interior  of  this  pretty 
cottage  corresponded  with  the  exterior.  The  recep 
tion  or  sitting  room  in  which  they  sat  was  remarkable 
for  neatness  and  taste ;  the  flooring  was  inlaid  parquet, 
the  walls  laid  in  hardwood  panels  halfway  to  the  ceil 
ing,  the  remaining  half  was  covered  with  heavy  furred 
burlap.  The  room  was  furnished  with  light  rockers 
and  easy  chairs.  In  the  centre  was  placed  a  Japanese 
pedestal  upon  which  stood  a  beautiful  winged  palm- 
leaf  tree.  At  the  end  of  the  sitting  room,  which  ran 
oblong,  were  two  pretty  panelled  sliding  doors  which 
stood  open  to  afford  visitors  a  view  of  the  cleanness 
and  tidiness  with  which  they  were  arranged. 

Ill 


Little  §>ufferer0 


On  the  left,  as  they  entered,  was  a  larger  one,  this 
being  the  children's  dining  room.  It  held  a  half  dozen 
tables,  with  four  chairs  to  each,  arranged  at  suitable 
intervals  and  giving  ample  space  for  comfort.  The 
furniture  was  hardwood,  and  there  were  handsomely 
polished  tables.  All  had  pretty  white  damask,  newly 
laundered  coverings ;  on  each  was  placed  a  silver  cas 
ter.  The  ceiling  was  bluish  white,  the  walls  were 
panelled  three-quarters  up  to  the  ceiling.  The  win 
dow  panes  and  woodwork  were  free  from  specks  of 
dust  and  the  hardwood  flooring  was  polished  and  re 
flected  as  though  it  were  a  mirror.  Everything  showed 
scrupulous  cleanliness,  and  could  not  help  command 
ing  approval  at  a  glance. 

The  other  room  upon  the  left,  the  boys'  library,  was 
somewhat  smaller.  In  the  centre  stood  a  large,  oblong 
table  covered  with  writing  material  and  illustrated 
pamphlets.  A  bookcase,  which  contained  forty  or  fifty 
books,  was  placed  against  the  wall  between  two  win 
dows.  All  within,  too,  looked  as  span  and  clean  as 
though  it  knew  no  occupants,  yet  distributed  about  the 
room  were  sixteen  or  eighteen  boys.  An  observer 
could  not  at  first  thought  fail  to  be  impressed  with  the 
extreme  care  and  neatness  which  must  affect  the  minds 
of  the  young  who  came  within  its  influence. 

One  wing  of  the  floor  above  was  occupied  by  the 
matron,  and  the  other  as  a  sleeping  apartment  for  the 
detained  boys,  and  this  was  connected  with  a  broad 
staircase  railed  with  turned  baluster.  The  newel- 
post  in  the  lower  end  of  the  stairway,  which  was  di 
rectly  in  front  of  the  sitting  room,  was  handsomely 
carved.  On  its  top  arose  a  heavy  electric  bulb  which 
was  rested  upon  a  crown. 

The  whole  gave  an  impression  that  it  could  not  be 
a  detaining  place  for  bad  or  wild  boys ;  it  seemed  more 
like  that  of  a  sunny  retreat  for  little  angels.  Harry 

112 


Little 


O'Neil  looked  at  it  all  with  amazement,  and  momen 
tarily  he  forgot  his  mission.  As  he  recovered  he 
thought  that  it  was  not  possible  that  his  boy  could  be 
put  in  so  fine  a  place.  He  looked  about  at  all  the 
youngsters  who  wore  neat  blue  uniforms  with  brass 
buttons  and  behaved  like  gentlemen.  "This  must  be 
some  one  of  the  director's  home,  and  these  neat  chaps 
must  be  visitors  or  relatives  of  the  better  class,"  he 
mused. 

Lankey  remarked  his  perplexity,  and  said :  "The 
whole  thing  is  a  game ;  but  I  shan't  tell  you  just  yet." 

Harry  did  not  have  to  wait  long  before  learning 
something.  While  they  were  sitting  awaiting  the 
matron  to  present  to  her  the  permit  to  visit,  one  of  the 
youngsters  in  his  slippers  which  he  wore,  upon  his 
tiptoes,  walked  to  where  they  sat  and  in  a  whisper 
asked  if  they  were  to  visit  any  one  in  their  cottage. 

"Willie  O'Neil  is  in  this  cottage,  is  he  not?"  quickly 
queried  Harry. 

"Yes,  but — but — he — is "  he  stuttered,  looking 

around.  "Well,  you  better  see  the  matron.  If  I  was 
to  speak  a  word  without  permission  I'd  be  clipped  into 
the  drill  squad  over  in  the  fifth  ward  on  a  sixty  days' 
turn."  He  spoke,  in  a  suppressed  tone,  and  furtively 
watched  the  stairway  in  which  direction  the  matron 
was  expected  to  appear. 

Harry's  heart  sunk  as  he  wondered  what  it  could 
mean.  His  son's  absence;  this  little  boy's  fearful  and 
guarded  manner,  and  his  mention  of  punishment,  drill 
squad,  and  the  fifth  ward.  These  thoughts  flashed 
upon  him  with  his  eyes  meeting  this  extremely  neat 
home  with  apparently  nothing  wanting  to  give  the 
appearance  of  true  benevolence.  What  could  he  think  ? 

Awakening  from  his  first  blow,  he  was  determined 
that  he  would  learn  more  of  the  inside  conditions. 
To  give  no  show  of  fear  for  his  boy's  safety  and  the 


Cije  Little  Sufferers; 


conditions  under  which  he  now  lived,  in  a  pretended 
carelessness,  he  said :  "You  boys  have  pretty  nice  times 
here,  and  a  neat  and  tidy  home." 

"Gee,  mister,  if  you  only  knew !"  whispered  the 
boy.  "We  are  put  in  our  good  clothes  on  Sunday  to 
show  off  for  some  o'  them  big  guys  what  come  in 
automobiles  and  other  visitors.  But  we  cannot  go 
outside  the  place  nor  stir  from  the  room.  Instead 
of  going  outside  to  play,  we  must  sit  and  read  the  old 
books  over  and  over  again.  It  makes  a  feller  sick," 
he  ended,  in  disgust,  as  he  threw  another  look  at  the 
stairway. 

In  a  whisper,  he  proceeded :  "Dem  fine  floors,  stairs, 
walls,  and  windows,  and  all  that  junk  o'  brass  we  must 
scrub  clean  and  polish  all  the  time  and  every  day,  so 
our  knees  and  hands  blister  and  our  backs  ache  like 
anything.  It's  all  well  for  you  folks  coming  up  ter  see 
it,  to  cut  up  'bout  a  nice  home  and  a  clean  shack,  but 
we  boys  have  to  do  it,"  he  said  reproachfully,  having 
mistaken  Harry's  view.  "We  can't  even  walk,  but 
must  sit  for  fear  of  scrapin'  the  floor.  If  we  talk 
the  matron  scolds  us  and  reports  us  to  the  'Super.' 
And  that  means  a  spell  in  the  drill  squad  in  the  fifth 
ward,"  he  continued  expressively,  as  he  pointed  out 
through  the  windows  toward  a  large  brick  building. 

Harry  was  about  to  ask  further  information  about 
the  fifth  ward  and  the  drill  squad,  but  was  hindered 
as  the  lad  resumed:  "You  see  them  fine  table  cloths? 
If  a  feller  should  happen  to  spill  a  drop  of  bean  soup 
on  it,  it's  good-by  to  him.  And  the  stuff  we  get  to 
eat  is  so  rank  that  we  can't  eat  it,  and  then  we  don't 
get  much  of  anything  but  the  same  mince  every  day." 

"Sure,  mister,  what  we  get  we  work  hard  for,"  he 
continued ;  "some  of  us  what  works  always  in  the  cot 
tages  are  chased  out  of  our  bunks  every  morning  at  four 

114 


Cfje  JLittle  §>tifferer$ 


o'clock  and  have  to  begin  to  set  the  tables  and  then  go 
way  up  on  the  road  to  the  bake  house  and  kitchen  and 
fetch  the  grub  for  us  and  the  matron.  Then  we  have 
to  clean  and  scrub  and  set  tables  again  and  again  for 
grub,  and  then  clean,  wash,  and  scrub,  and  again " 

"Don't  you  go  to  school?"  broke  in  Harry. 

"Gee,  school?  A  couple  Misses  what  don't  know 
nothing  about  nothing  sit  and  read  a  book  and  then 
we  go  to  sleep,  but  that  is  only  about  three  hours  a 
day  sometimes.  The  rest  of  the  time  we  work,  either 
in  the  cottages  making  beds,  house-cleaning,  or  over 
in  the  bake  shop  and  kitchen,  or  in  the  tailor  shop  or 
shoe  shop,  or  in  the  garden  or  cutting  grass,  hoeing 
potatoes  or  other  work  in  the  field.  When  it  rains 
them  fellers  what  work  outside  are  sent  in  and  clean 
pig-pens  or  other  work.  Gee  whiz!  we  have  to  work 
here,  all  right,"  he  came,  with  a  shake  of  his  head. 
"If  I  was  working  like  that  in  the  city  I'd  make  lots 
of  money,  you  bet,"  he  ended,  with  a  nod  of  assur 
ance. 

"How  old  are  you  ?"  asked  Harry. 

"I'm  thirteen  years,  but  lots  of  smaller  boys  work  as 
hard  as  I  do,  and  there's  big  fellers,  too,  as  big  as  you, 
mister.  They  mostly  work  on  the  farms,  and  don't  get 
nothing  for  it." 

"It's  all  work  and  no  play  with  you  boys,"  remarked 
Lankey  sadly. 

"You're  right,  mister,  but  nobody  believes  it.  Them 
old  guys  coming  up  in  their  automobiles  and  fine  car 
riages  think  we  do  nothin'  but  eat  and  sleep  and  go 
to  school,  and  they  praise  the  matrons  and  the  'Super' 
for  all  the  work  they  don't  do  nothing  of.  And  then 
they  come  oncet  in  a  while  and  speak  down  in  the  hall 
near  the  ferry,  and  tell  us  about  how  lucky  we  are. 
The  minister  in  the  church  tells  us  to  pray  for  our 


Ci)e  Little  Sufferers 


good  home  and  thank  the  good  people  giving  it  to  us. 
Gee  whiz!  it's  tough,  ain't  it?"  he  ended,  shrugging 
his  shoulders. 

"How  long  are  you  here  for?"  asked  Harry. 

"Search  me,  boss,"  replied  the  lad;  "we're  all  here 
for  so  long  as  they  can  keep  us,  I  guess.  If  our  par 
ents  don't  send  no  money  and  clothes  to  the  institu 
tion,  they  try  to  tell  us  that  there  is  some  rich  farmers 
out  West  who  wants  to  adopt  us  and  give  us  a  good 
home  with  plenty  of  fruit,  candy,  and  good  clothes. 
But  no  Westloe  for  me;  this  is  tough  enough." 

"What  do  you  mean  by  Westloe?"  asked  Harry. 

"Three  of  the  bugs  what  runs  this  business  sits  in 
the  room  up  in  the  office  buildin'  one  day  each  month 
and  have  some  of  us  lads,  what  they  think  will  go 
west  on  farms,  up  and  see  them.  They  tell  us  our 
parents  are  drunkards  and  bad,  and  we  ought  to  go 
out  West.  That  is  what  we  call  Westloe." 

"Won't  you  tell  us  about  the  fifth  ward  and  the  drill 
squad  ?" 

"Gee!  that's  a  hole,"  exclaimed  he;  "we  are  sent 
there  for  doin'  nothin'.  I  was  there  once  for  pickin' 
an  apple  and  eatin'  it  when  I  worked  on  the  farm,  and 
one  time  we  had  a  drill  practice  for  paradin'  on  the 
anniversary  day.  My  old  man  happened  to  come  up 
ter  see  me ;  he  had  no  visitin'  permit,  as  they  don't 
grant  them  always,  but  he  walked  over  near  the  pa- 
raders.  I  spied  him  and  turned  my  head  just  a  little 
bit  like  this" — here  the  lad  turned  his  head  in  a  one- 
eighth  position  from  a  straight  point.  "Gee!  the 
Monitor  hit  me  awful  hard.  After  the  parade  day  I 
got  sixty  days  in  the  fifth  ward,  but  got  off  thirty 
days  for  good  drill."  Here  he  halted  a  moment,  and 
then  continued:  "Fifth  ward  is  a  ranker,  you  bet! 
There's  always  a  dozen  or  more  there.  It's  on  the  loft 
over  the  powerhouse.  We  drill  all  day  from  six 

116 


C6e  JLittle  §>ufferet0 


o'clock  mornin'  to  dark ;  no  chairs,  no  bench,  nothing 
to  sit  on,  and  nothing  to  lay  on  exceptin'  the  floor  and 
we  get  a  half  quilt  to  sleep  on  sometimes  when  it's 
real,  real  cold" — he  indicated  with  a  shudder — "and 
only  water  and  dry  bread  all  the  time.  Beatin'  and 
kickin'  fer  ours  if  we  get  tired.  Sometimes  we  have 
to  stand  with  both  arms  outstretched  for  fifteen  min 
utes,  so  it  gets  black  before  our  eyes.  It  hurted  me 
onct  so  in  my  back  and  on  the  left  side  of  my  breast 
that  I  dropped  and  the  blood  ntnned  out  of  my  nose 
like  anything.  For  fear  of  a  beatin',  I  asked  permis 
sion  to  go  to  the  toilet,  where  I  rested  a  few  minutes ; 
then  the  Monitor  came  and  slapped  me  a  good  one 
and  made  me  run  round  the  floor  for  a  long,  long 
while.  Gee !" 

"Are  visitors  allowed  in  your  fifth  ward?"  asked 
Lankey. 

"You  bet  no !  Not  even  the  fine  ladies  and  big  guys 
what  come  up  ter  see  the  place.  They  are  shown  about 
by  the  matron  and  'Super,'  and  only  around  inside 
here,  and  in  our  bedroom,  which  looks  real  fine.  And 
then  as  they  stand  and  look  at  the  cottages  and  the 
fine  little  gardens,  they  smile  to  each  other,  and  say 
something  what  we  don't  hear  nothing  of.  Then  go 
away." 

"When  is  the  anniversary  day?" 

"Next  month;  but  it  ain't  for  nobody  but  the  fine 
people  and  their  family  and  big  judges.  We  are 
walkin'  up  and  down  for  them  like  sholdiers,  and  make 
motions  with  hands  up  and  down  like  real  sholdiers 
what's  in  the  army,"  he  answered.  "But  it  ain't  for 
our  parents  and  anybody  what  ain't  invited,"  he  said, 
in  a  warning  tone. 

"Can  you  tell  me  something  about  Willie  O'Neil?" 
asked  Harry  finally. 

Again  he  cast  a  glance  at  the  stairway,  and  in  the 
117 


JLfttle 


same  cautious  tone  continued:  "Gee!  don't  tell  any 
thing  what  I  told  you  to  nobody;  or  it'll  be  all  up 
with  me." 

Harry  assured  him  of  their  silence  and  bade  him  to 
go  on. 

"Willie  and  another  lad  what  the  matron  calls 
'Piggy,'  'cause  he  can  always  eat,  and  cries  'cause  he 
can't  get  enough,"  began  he,  "were  sent  to  the  ferry 
for  mail  for  the  office.  Some  one  had  broken  open  a 
chew-gum  box  and  taken  som't  of  it  out.  Piggy  was 
seen  chewing  gum  and  he  got  the  blame,  though  he 
said  he  didn't,  and  Willie  was  sent  sixty  days  in  the 
drill  squad  in  fifth  ward,  'cause  he  wouldn't  say  Piggy 
took  it.  I  wouldn't  have  squealed  anyhow.  Would 
you  ?"  he  asked,  and  then  he  went  on :  "We  never  get 
much  of  anything  nice  anyhow,  even  if  our  parents 
bring  us  sompt'in'  and  our  matron  don't  like  us. 
Sometimes  she  keeps  it  for  us  and  when  we  want  it 
she  sells  it  to  us  for  the  few  pennies " 

The  lad  abruptly  broke  off.  Steps  were  heard  upon 
the  upper  landing.  Lightly,  and  as  quick  as  a  cat,  he 
bounded  from  the  visiting  room  into  the  library,  picked 
up  a  book,  and  pretended  he  was  quietly  studying. 
The  other  lads,  who,  in  their  free  spell  of  oversight, 
had  been  tiptoeing  about  and  whispering  to  each  other, 
likewise  quickly  sought  seats.  Whether  reading  or 
not,  none  ever  dared  to  gaze  aside  from  his  book  while 
the  matron  was  there. 

"Well,  well,  how  do  you  do?  Pleasant  day,  isn't 
it?"  said  the  matron  in  a  most  affable  manner,  with 
smiles  and  a  bow  to  Harry  and  Lankey,  who,  in  re 
turn,  responded :  "Well,  I  suppose  you  are  up  to  see 
your  boys?  Have  you  with  you  your  visiting  per 
mits  ?"  she  inquired,  before  their  bow  had  ended. 

As  Harry  handed  her  the  permit  she  pleasantly 
118 


€&e  Little 


bade  them  be  seated,  and,  as  she  unfolded  the  permit, 
she  made  a  slight  motion  with  the  hand,  and  said: 
"Don't  you  think  this  is  a  pleasant  home  for  the  boys  ? 
Why,  why,  Willie  O'Neil?  You  are  Mr.  O'Neil,  I 
suppose?  Glad  to  see  you,"  she  followed  up,  as  she 
noted  the  name,  and  slightly  tinged  her  tone  with 
sadness :  "But  I  am  very  sorry,  for  I  feai  you  cannot 
see  the  boy  to-day — he " 

She  halted  a  moment,  and  with  more  ease  said :  "He 
is  put  away  over  in  another  building  with  some  other 
boys  for  an  infraction  upon  our  rules.  We  don't  pun 
ish  children,  but  we  simply  make  them  understand  that 
they  must  obey,  and  have  at  times  to  put  them  aside 
to  shame  themselves.  You  understand?" 

Harry  O'Neil  had  by  the  little  lad's  tale  been  pre 
pared  for  the  worst,  and  the  shock  did  not  unnerve 
him.  On  the  contrary,  he  could  barely  compose  him 
self  from  anger.  He  finally  demanded :  "The  visiting 
permit  states  I  can  see  my  son  this  day.  I  must  see 
him,  and  I  demand  to  be  shown  him." 

"No,  the  visiting  permit  says  you  may,  but  not  nec 
essarily  that  you  can,"  responded  the  matron.  "If  you 
wish,  however,  you  can  go  to  the  office  building,  where 
you  can  see  the  superintendent,  or  some  one  else.  I 
can  do  nothing  further  for  you." 

It  took  but  a  few  minutes  for  them  to  reach  the  of 
fice  building.  The  superintendent  happened  to  be 
present,  and  he  met  them  with  measured  curtness. 
He  was  used  to  meeting  similar  disappointed  and 
grieved  parents,  and  made  it  a  rule  to  be  short.  "I 
cannot  help  it;  the  matter  does  not  lay  with  me.  The 
boy  is  punished  for  insubordination " 

"For  not  telling  a "  broke  in  Harry  hastily ;  but 

stopped  short  as  he  suddenly  remembered  that  the  lit 
tle  informant  in  the  cottage  had  requested  him  not  to 
tell  of  their  talk. 

119 


Cfje  JLfttle  Sufferer* 


"What?  For  not  telling  a  what,  did  you  say?" 
flurried  the  superintendent. 

"For  not  telling  me  not  to  waste  my  time  and  money 
to  come  all  the  way  up  here  to  suffer  a  disappoint 
ment,"  with  a  flash,  replied  O'Neil. 

The  superintendent  appeared  satisfied,  and  said : 
'Well,  we  can't  help  these  things;  you  wrote  for  a 
permit,  and  the  clerk  sent  it ;  we  have  no  special  meth 
od  to  compare  applications  for  visits  and  infractious 
children.  You  must  take  your  chances  on  that,  my 
friend,"  he  ended,  shrugging  his  shoulders. 

Much  discouraged,  Harry  now  pleaded :  "Is  there 
no  way  I  can  see  my  boy  to-day?  His  mother  is  in 
bed  and  very  sick,  and  will  feel  disappointed.  And  I 
have  brought  him  some  little  things  that  would  please 
him,  so  it  will  be  a  great  joy,  both  for  him  and  me,  to 
meet  just  for  a  greeting  and  good  cheer.  His 
mother " 

"It's  no  use  arguing;  our  rule  forbids  it.  When 
children  are  under  discipline  no  one  can  see  them. 
Parents  in  this  particular  instance  play  no  role.  Our 
System  is  by  court  and  law  appointed  the  child's 
guardian.  If  you  have  any  clothing  or  matters  to  give 
him,  you  can  leave  it  with  the  matron  at  his  cottage. 
Upon  the  end  of  his  discipline,  it  will  be  handed  to 
him."  This  speech  was  delivered  abruptly ;  and,  with 
a  bow,  he  said :  "Good-by,  gentlemen."  Whereupon 
he  returned  to  an  inner  room  in  the  office  building  and 
closed  the  door. 

Lankey  had  not  spoken  a  word  throughout.  "It's 
no  use  knocking  your  head  against  a  stone  wall, 
Harry,"  he  said,  touching  upon  the  shoulders  his 
friend,  who  stood  dumb  and  paralyzed. 

But  still  wishing  to  leave  the  remembrances  for  his 
lad,  at  such  a  time  as  he  would  be  free,  they  returned 
to  the  cottage  where  he  delivered  his  package  to  the 

1 20 


C6e  Little  Sufferer* 


matron,  begging  her  to  give  it  to  Willie  as  soon  as 
the  rule  permitted. 

It  was  still  early.  Broken-hearted  and  disgusted, 
and  cursing  the  System  and  its  rules,  Harry  stag 
gered  homeward.  The  disappointment,  anger,  and 
impressions  received  had  momentarily  weakened  him, 
so  he  was  forced  to  grasp  Lankey's  arm  for  support. 

Beautiful  nature,  which  had  so  enlivened  Harry 
upon  his  morning  start,  had  not  suffered  with  him. 
The  sun  shone  just  as  brilliantly.  The  sparrows  and 
humming-birds  and  other  feathered  things  of  joy  flew 
from  branch  to  branch,  hopping  and  chirping.  Chip 
munks  and  squirrels  played  hide-and-seek  on  the 
branches  and  boughs. 

It  was  as  though  kindness  and  beauty  and  love  were 
expressed  in  all  creation.  But  within  Harry  was  a 
gnawing,  unsatisfied  sense  of  longing  and  a  baffled 
hope.  His  hopes  were  scattered ;  upon  his  return  home 
he  was  to  crush  out  the  last  glow  of  life  held  within 
his  wife.  He  had  nothing  to  convey  her  but  sad  tales 
of  miserable  torture  which  must  befall  her  son.  Worst 
of  all,  he  had  not  been  permitted  to  hear  or  see  him; 
if,  indeed,  he  was  still  among  the  living. 

Physically  strong  and  powerful  as  Harry  was,  he 
could  not  stand  upon  his  feet,  so  deadening  was  his 
despair.  Without  speaking,  he  pointed  to  Lankey  to 
take  a  seat,  and,  exhausted,  sank  upon  a  log.  His 
friend  read  his  thoughts  and  knew  his  feeling.  Laying 
his  arm  upon  Harry's  shoulder,  he  said :  "Dear  friend, 
I  feel  for  you;  I  know  what  you  would  say  if  you 
could  speak.  Your  mind  is  in  a  tumult;  but  calm 
yourself;  you  have  yet  not  foundered  upon  the  reef." 

"Thank  you,  good  friend;  it  is  perhaps  a  weakness 
not  becoming  a  man,  but  I  cannot  help  it,"  answered 
Harry,  a  bit  relieved.  "I  love  my  home,  I  love  my 
children,  and  I  love  my  wife.  But  she  will  never  sur- 

121 


C&e  Little 


vive  the  shock  of  to-day,  and  I  shall  have  lost  all.  I 
stand  with  a  shattered  past  and  a  broken  future." 

"Ah,  it's  far  from  being  a  weakness;  nor  is  it  a 
coward's  trait  to  fight  the  battle  you  have  fought,  but 
whatever  be  your  sorrows  of  the  past,  they  will  aid 
you  in  the  future,"  said  Lankey.  "I  suffered  the  loss 
of  my  children  as  you  did.  Their  lives  were  lost  to 
me  upon  far  western  farms.  My  poor  wife  was  be 
reft  of  her  mind.  She  was  not  strong  enough  to 
carry  the  load,  and  so  I  lost  my  home  and  all  that  was 
dear  to  me.  Though  it  left  me  a  broken  pathway  and 
scars  in  life,  it  has  added  to  my  heart's  depth  and 
soul's  capacities.  The  pleasure  I  have  in  being  with 
you  in  this,  your  trouble,  more  than  rewards  me  for 
all  my  sorrows." 

"Good  friend,  George,  I  will  bear  it  all  with  a  brave 
heart,"  answered  Harry,  much  encouraged.  "Life  is 
but  a  short  span,  a  tick  of  eternity.  Shall  dawn  of 
yonder  shores  meet  me,  I  shall  feel  that  my  life  has 
not  been  wasted,"  he  said,  as  he  arose,  followed  by 
Lankey. 

These  little  thoughts  which  had  eliminated  from  the 
pair,  much  inspired  and  refreshed  them.  It  dispelled 
the  deep  sadness  which  had  settled  over  Harry,  and 
relieved  his  friend  Lankey,  who  shared  the  pains  with 
him. 

CHAPTER  XII. 

RED  HOOK  DAN  CONNORS*  LETTER. 

As  Harry  expected,  Mrs.  O'Neil  suffered  a  relapse 
upon  his  return  from  the  Juvenile  Farm  on  Hastings 
Hills,  for  she  had  strongly  cherished  hopes  of  news 
of  her  boy. 

Time  passed,  but  little  May  Thornton  stood  pa 
tiently  by  her.  The  poor  woman  felt  a  cheer  with 

122 


C6e  Little 


May  beside  her,  and  for  hours  they  would  sit  and 
lightly  discourse,  but  their  talk  would  always  drift  back 
to  her  lost  children.  May  felt  hopeful  that  the  children 
would  soon  be  restored  to  her,  and  never  ceased  to  as 
sure  the  lamenting  mother  that  the  day  was  not  far  off, 
bidding  her  have  courage  and  patience. 

In  her  prayers  May  never  failed  to  plead  for  the 
children's  return,  and  she  laid  awake  till  many  a  mid 
night  racking  her  little  head  with  thoughts  of  means 
by  which  she  could  get  the  little  ones  returned.  Some 
times  she  would  plan  to  disguise  herself  as  a  Sister  of 
Charity  and  carry  them  away.  As  such  she  knew  she 
would  be  permitted  access  and  freedom  anywhere,  and 
in  particular  in  homes  of  the  System,  which  caters 
to  anything  that  can  aid  its  false  benevolence.  An 
other  time  she  planned  to  obtain  a  position  as  servant 
in  the  home  of  the  System,  and  thus  find  means  to 
get  away  with  the  little  ones.  Once  she  urged  her 
oldest  brother,  a  strong  favorite  among  his  associates, 
to  join  in  politics  and  use  his  influence  among  leaders 
and  high  politicians  to  intercede  for  the  release  of  the 
O'Neil  children. 

Naturally  she  confided  all  her  plans  to  Lankey 
George.  Their  love  had  grown  so  they  had  reached  to 
an  understanding  that  they  were  to  marry  as  soon  as 
the  O'Neil  home  had  been  restored.  Though  Lankey 
did  not  discourage  her  various  plans,  he  put  no  faith 
therein.  The  children  were  at  different  stations,  and 
a  plot  to  recapture  them  must  be  carried  out  simul 
taneously.  May's  hope  of  obtaining  a  position  as  serv 
ant  in  the  System's  home  was  not  at  all  probable. 
George  urged  as  reason  that  the  Juvenile  System, 
which  has  its  lockers  full  of  little  slaves  for  each  of 
which  it  draws  pay  and  can  at  any  time  reach  its  fangs 
for  more,  would  hire  no  one  on  pay,  not  even  for  free 
board. 


Cfte  JUttle  Sufferers 


The  plan  that  her  older  brother  should  take  a  hand 
in  local  politics  and  make  a  mark  around  the  primar 
ies  and  polls  appealed  to  George.  "Politicians  and 
the  Juvenile  System  reciprocate ;  if  you  control  many 
votes,  you  can  make  a  demand  upon  your  district 
leader." 

One  morning  May  Thornton  received  a  note  from 
Red  Hook  Dan  Connors.  It  began  with  a  slight  re 
proach  for  not  acting  in  his  favor  in  court  upon  the 
day  Lankey  George  was  on  trial  for  having  beaten 
him,  but  he  wrote  that  he  had  forgiven  all  and  would 
be  glad,  if  for  nothing  else,  for  friendship's  sake,  to 
see  and  speak  to  her.  Owing  to  the  outcome  of  that 
trial,  he  further  wrote  that  he  had  not  attained  his 
position  upon  the  police  force.  His  police  job  as  pro 
bation  officer  had  ended,  but  through  strong  influence 
he  had  obtained  a  position  as  agent  with  the  Juvenile 
System,  and  for  her  sake  would  help  to  get  the  O'Neil 
children  restored  to  the  family. 

His  letter  was  not  couched  in  the  terms  of  passion 
ate  love,  as  had  been  his  former  writing.  On  'the  con 
trary,  it  ran  with  a  distant  respect,  and  was  in  a  lan 
guage  more  intelligent  than  she  knew  Dan  to  be  able 
to  write.  It  ended  with  deep  wishes  to  her  and  the 
whole  Thornton  family,  and  with  a  kind  request  to 
meet  him  at  the  Flanagans'  home  on  the  following 
afternoon  at  two  o'clock,  where  they  would  lay  plans 
and  devise  the  best  means  for  the  release  of  the  chil 
dren. 

May  read  the  letter  three  or  four  times ;  she  studied 
it,  and  asked  herself  if  it  could  be  true.  The  style  of 
the  letter  was  manifestly  not  his,  though  she  recog 
nized  the  handwriting.  She  had  passionately  loved 
and  trusted  Dan  at  one  time,  but  now  she  despised 
and  mistrusted  him.  She  pondered  a  long  while  on 

124 


C6e  Little 


how  to  treat  the  letter.  "If  he  proposes  to  renew  our 
friendship,  that  can  never  be,"  she  murmured  to  her 
self,  and  her  thoughts  turned  to  Lankey  George,  to 
whom  her  deepest  feelings  turned. 

Could  Dan  have  suddenly  become  so  much  a  better 
man  as  the  letter  would  indicate?  Would  he  aid  the 
O'Neils  without  making  any  demand  upon  her  ?  These 
and  other  questions  she  asked  herself,  as  she  hid  the 
letter  away.  She  did  not  wish  to  lay  a  false  hope  for 
her  sick  friend,  but  decided  to  consult  first  with  her 
mother  and  afterward  with  George.  The  matter 
pressed  her  so  much  that  she  could  not  wait  till  even 
ing  when  Harry  returned.  So,  after  attending  the 
present  wants  of  her  sick  friend,  she  prepared  herself 
to  go  home. 

Mrs.  Thornton  looked  the  letter  over  carefully  and 
shook  her  head,  warning  May  that  it  was  some  trick. 
"He  may  love  you,  but  if  the  quality  does  not  lie  buried 
alongside  his  heart,  it's  a  dangerous  love  for  you  to 
enter  into." 

"Oh,  don't  fear,  mother ;  I'll  never  marry  Dan  Con 
nors,  even  though  he  was  the  president  of  the  Juve 
nile  System  itself,"  protested  May.  "I  think  too  much 
of  George  for  that.  But  what  I  wanted  to  know  is, 
do  you  think  he  is  sincere  when  he  offers  to  aid  me 
in  getting  the  children  back?" 

"Certainly  Dan  Connors  is  sincere.  He  will  get  the 
children  for  you ;  but  his  action  is  not  impelled  by  love 
for  the  suffering  little  ones  or  their  parents.  You  are 
the  price  he  will  demand." 

"I'll  die  before  I  marry  him,"  May  exclaimed  firmly. 
"But  oh,  I  must  help  that  poor  woman;  she  will  die 
if " 

"Don't  worry,  May;  there  will  be  other  means  by 
which  to  get  the  children,"  interrupted  Mrs.  Thornton 

125 


C&e  Little 


comfortingly.  "I  wouldn't  take  any  stock  in  that  let 
ter;  just  forget  it  and  burn  it;  anyway,  I  fail  to  see 
how,  while  others  fail,  he  could  get  the  children." 

"That's  so,  mother,"  returned  May,  relieved.  "Dan 
always  talked  and  promised  too  much.  I  won't  mind 
a  word  he  writes ;  but  truly  I  would  do  mostly  any 
thing,  could  I  help  poor  Mrs.  O'Neil  and  the  children." 
She  arose,  threw  the  letter  into  the  stove,  and  returned 
to  Mrs.  O'Neil. 

This  afternoon  was  the  regular  visiting  day  at  the 
institution.  Mr.  O'Neil,  whose  work  would  not  per 
mit  him  to  lay  off,  generally  took  advantage  of  the 
Sunday  special  permits,  and  would  visit  in  turn  one  or 
the  other  of  the  children. 

Visits  are  economic  factors  to  the  Juvenile  System, 
as  relatives  and  parents  and  friends  on  such  days  never 
fail  to  bring  along  supplies  of  underwear  and  other 
miscellanies  which  will  cover  or  fill  the  body  of  the 
inmates.  While  Mrs.  O'Neil  was  not  strong  enough 
to  join  her,  May  prepared  to  go  alone,  and  of  course 
took  with  her  a  package  of  gifts. 

Little  Louise  was  naturally  glad  for  everything,  but 
while  the  matron  absented  herself,  she  had  a  chance 
to  whisper  into  May's  ear,  bidding  her  not  to  bring 
any  more  clothes.  "Dem  children  what  is  sent  out 
west  on  big  farms  get  all  our  good  things  what  peo 
ple  bring  with  them,  and  we  get  nothing  but  these 
old  things  which  is  so  cold."  Here  she  turned  up  her 
outer  gingham  wrapper  and  showed  threadworn  mus 
lin  underwear  two  sizes  too  small.  The  child  had 
lots  of  other  tales  of  complaints  which  all  ran  in  the 
same  tone.  The  burden  of  it  was  that  it  was  a 
wretched  life,  with  neither  home  nor  love,  pleasure  nor 
joy,  feeling  nor  sympathy.  It  was  work,  and  nothing 
to  gratify  nor  satisfy ;  nothing  to  humor  one ;  withal, 
it  was  a  longing  and  a  pleading  to  be  taken  home. 

126 


Cfte  Little 


May  Thornton  stood  helpless ;  she  could  give  no 
help.  She  loved  the  child  as  a  little  sister,  and  it  sad 
dened  her  much  to  hear  and  think  of  the  little  girl's 
plight.  She  would,  however,  mildly  interpret  condi 
tions  to  the  sick  mother,  for  fear  of  aggravating  her 
ills. 

That  night  after  supper  Harry  O'Neil  attended  a 
meeting  of  the  Lumber-handlers'  Union.  He  left  May 
alone  with  Lankey  and  the  sick  woman.  George  was 
her  steady  visitor,  and  she  naturally  divided  her  time 
with  him  during  the  evening  hours. 

"Say,  May,"  suddenly  asked  Lankey,  as  they  had 
sat  together,  "do  you  know  your  old  sweetheart,  Dan 
Connors,  is  employed  by  the  Juvenile  System?" 

As  Lankey  so  suddenly  made  this  inquiry,  May  re 
flected  upon  the  letter  she  had  got.  It  brought  a 
rush  of  blood  to  her  cheeks.  George  noticed  it,  and 
remarked :  "What  is  the  matter,  child,  your  face  is 
getting  as  red  as  a  brick  wall  ?" 

Lankey's  remark  did  not  aid  her  any;  she  stuttered 
a  moment,  tried  to  speak,  but  couldn't.  She  felt  guilty 
that  she  had  not  told  him  of  Dan's  letter. 

"What's  the  matter,  dear  ?  I  love  you  as  God  loves 
the  truth,  and  would  shorten  my  life  to  bring  you 
happiness ;  but  I  want  no  tinkering  of  hearts.  If  your 
heart  beats  for  Dan  Connors  let  it  beat  his  way  only. 
I  will  bravely  surrender  and  aid  you  both  to  become 
happy,"  said  Lankey,  as  May  was  endeavoring  to 
command  words. 

"Well,  I  know  I  should,  but—but  I "  she  stut 
tered,  and  made  a  further  effort  to  calm  herself. 

"You  know  you  should  what?"  broke  in  Lankey, 
sincerely  touched  and  not  grasping  her  meaning.  "But 
you  have  not  been  fair  to  me  by  concealing  it.  That 
you  love  him  is  neither  a  shame  nor  a  blame ;  but  you 

should  have " 

127 


Cbe  Little  %>ufferet$ 


"George !  George !  Dear  George,  please  let  me 
explain!  .While  perhaps  I  am  wrong  by  not  having 

told  you,  you  are  doing  me  a  great  injustice  by " 

exclaimed  the  girl;  but  she  again  was  interrupted  as 
the  door  suddenly  opened  and  May's  sister,  Katie, 
entered.  She  held  in  her  hand  a  letter  which,  upon 
noticing  Lankey,  she  made  a  slight  attempt  to  conceal. 
That  George  and  May  were  emotionally  stirred  she  did 
not  suspect,  for  in  her  presence  both  had  forced  calm 
ness  upon  themselves.  Lankey  spoke  to  her  as  usual. 
After  exchanging  a  few  words  of  general  observation 
and  of  current  news,  Katie  excused  herself  to  Lankey, 
and  asked  her  sister  for  a  moment's  private  conversa 
tion.  The  girls  drew  into  an  adjoining  room. 

Quick  of  perception,  Lankey  noticed  that  Katie  had 
attempted  to  conceal  the  message  she  carried.  He 
also  remarked  an  air  of  unusual  secrecy  about  her, 
and  for  some  few  moments  he  speculated  upon  it. 
May's  action  a  moment  since  had  roused  suspicion.  He 
felt  jealous  and  feared  that  she  was  not  true  to  him. 
Why  did  she  deceive  him?  Could  she  not  have  told 
him  that  she  loved  Dan  best  ?  Such  thoughts  agitated 
his  mind,  and  he  reproached  himself  that  a  man  of 
his  age  should  think  of  marrying  again.  Had  he  not 
had  trouble  enough?  "Oh,  it's  just  as  well  that  it 
should  happen  as  it  did.  The  poor  little  girl  is  not 
bad;  she  just  hasn't  learned  to  know  her  heart.  God 
give  her  luck  and  spare  her  to  happiness,"  he  sighed, 
feeling  a  bit  relieved  that  he  could  view  the  situation 
so  sensibly. 

May  and  her  sister  remained  but  a  few  seconds 
within  the  adjoining  room.  As  they  re-entered,  May 
carried  in  her  hand  the  letter  which  her  sister  had 
brought.  Lankey  quickly  collected  himself  and  tried 
to  appear  unconcerned.  "Sit  down  and  let  us  have  a 
chat,"  he  bade  Katie,  forcing  a  smile. 

128 


Cfje  Little 


May  could  read  Lankey ;  there  was  something  about 
him  which  did  not  speak  content.  She  felt  that  his 
mind  had  not  been  satisfied,  and  was  anxious  to  ex 
plain  what  she  was  interrupted  in  saying  at  the  time 
of  her  sister's  entrance.  Gazing  perplexedly  at  him, 
she  seated  herself  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  table. 
Katie  begged  to  be  excused,  as  a  girl  friend  was  wait 
ing  for  her  at  her  home,  and  departed. 

As  Lankey's  eyes  met  the  gaze  of  May,  which  was 
beautifully  true,  though  sad,  he  blushed  and  felt  much 
ashamed.  He  had  been  too  hasty  in  judging  her  guilty, 
and  he  longed  to  offer  her  an  apology.  He  was  about 
to  speak,  when  May  said :  "Have  whatever  thought  of 
me  you  like,  but  I  must  explain " 

"Ah !  when  I  look  upon  you,  dear,  that  is  all  the 
explanation  I  require ;  I  feel  like  a  silly  boy  that  I  could 
have  distrusted  you." 

"Nevertheless,  I  must  explain,"  she  said. 

Then  she  told  of  her  former  lover's  letter,  dwelling 
upon  its  contents.  She  stated  her  mother's  views  and 
her  own  conclusion,  and  that  she  had  destroyed  it  as 
absurd.  As  she  finished  she  smilingly  handed  George 
the  letter  which  she  still  held  in  her  hand,  saying: 
"This,  too,  is  from  Dan  Connors.  I  want  you  to  open 
it  and  read  it  for  me." 

This  request  did  not  affect  him  happily.  He  knew 
enough,  and  trusted  her  implicitly,  and  hated  himself 
that  thoughts  to  the  contrary  could  have  entered  his 
head.  "I  shall  not  read  it,  my  child ;  read  it  yourself," 
he  answered,  returning  the  letter. 

"Oh,  you  read  it,  please,"  she  exclaimed  persist 
ently,  handing  the  letter  back;  "you  read  so  much 
better  than  I." 

Reluctantly  he  consented,  but  begged  leave  first  to 
explain  how  Dan  Connors'  name  had  come  into  his  life 
that  very  evening.  To  this  she  consented;  whereupon 

129 


Cfje  Little 


Lankey  unfolded  an  evening's  paper  and  read  aloud : 
"Laws  and  the  Juvenile  System's  rules  prevent  par 
ents  from  getting  their  children.  The  System's  agent, 
Dan  Connors,  yesterday  locked  up  in  the  Juvenile 
System's  room  two  well-dressed  babies,  one  not  a  year 
and  a  half  old,  and  the  other  three  years  old.  The 
children  were  taken  into  custody  within  a  few  rods 
of  their  home,  because  their  nurse  was  found  slightly 
under  the  influence  of  liquor.  Daniel  Murry,  a  well- 
to-do  broker,  the  children's  father,  and  their  frantic 
mother,  accompanied  by  a  lawyer,  drove  in  their  auto 
mobile  to  the  office  of  the  Juvenile  System.  The  anx 
ious  parents  were  told  they  could  neither  get  their 
children,  nor  see  them  until  the  court  and  the  System 
had  decided  upon  the  matter.  They  learned,  more 
over,  that  the  System  was,  till  further  notice,  their 
lawful  guardian.  Furthermore,  the  Juvenile  System 
refused  to  allow  the  frantic  mother  to  see  the  unhappy 
children. 

"Mr.  Murry,  with  his  counsellor,  scoured  town  and 
tried  to  get  judges  to  order  their  release ;  but  it  was 
learned  that  they  did  not  have  such  jurisdiction." 

The  paper  further  commented :  "Such  incidents  are 
not  infrequent  in  any  good  family.  While  wife-beat 
ers,  assaulters,  and  all  grades  of  criminals  can  imme 
diately  be  released  from  jail  upon  bail  bond  by  any 
district  judge,  innocent  children  or  infants  who  need 
their  mother's  immediate  care  must  remain  in  jail. 
Does  not  such  a  remarkable  and  astounding  condition 
show  the  immensity  and  authority  of  the  private  Juve 
nile  System  and  the  limited  power  of  our  social  sys 
tem?" 

"Awful !  Awful !"  repeated  May,  "that  such  cruelty 
can  exist  in  a  great,  good  country.  Let  us  now  see 
what  Dan  has  to  say."  She  nodded  to  Lankey,  upon 
which  he  opened  the  letter  and  read: 

130 


Cfje  JLfttle 


"DEAR  MAY:  I  waited  for  you  at  the  Flanagans' 
house  as  my  former  letter  stated.  Knowing  of  the 
interest  you  take  in  the  O'Neil  family,  I  feel  that  had 
you  received  the  letter  you  would  have  come.  You 
surely  cannot  fear  that  an  old  friend  will  do  an  injury 
to  you.  For  the  next  few  days  I  will  be  away  in  the 
country,  delivering  some  little  children  to  their  farm 
ing  destination,  but  will  return  two  weeks  from  to 
day.  So,  if  you  have  the  matter  at  heart,  please  meet 
me  at  same  hour  and  place  two  weeks  hence.  With 
kind  wishes  to  your  family  and  self,  very  sincerely 
yours,  DAN  CONNORS/' 

The  letter  was  thus  postscripted  : 

"The  nature  of  the  matter  requires  absolute  secrecy, 
and  for  that  reason  I  beg  you  to  meet  me  entirely 
alone." 

The  letter  was  intelligently  written,  and  it  showed 
nothing  to  lead  her  to  suspect  danger  to  her  nor  any 
proposition  of  a  reunion.  Lankey  considered  it  a  mo 
ment  and  advised  her  to  go. 

"Well,  but  if  he — he "  here  she  stopped  for 

words  to  go  on. 

Lankey  understood  her,  and  added :  "If  he  proposes 
to  reopen  a  union,  let  it  rest  with  your  heart.  Dan 
has  political  influence,  and,  as  agent  for  the  System,  he 
is  in  a  position  to  do  a  great  deal  toward  having  the 
children  released.  When  I  look  upon  my  good  friend 
Harry  and  the  unhappy  woman  in  her  bed  within,  and 
think  of  the  unfortunate  children  who  are  doomed  to 
far  Western  farms  to  forget  their  parents  and  prob 
ably  die  immaturely  from  labor  and  drudgery,  my 
blood  curdles.  It  reflects  upon  my  life  of  misery  and 
all  who  are  gone  and  have  suffered  with  me." 

"I  will  go,"  she  said,  with  a  spirited  look;  "I  will 
plead  with  him  upon  bended  knees.  I  have  learned 


Cbe  Little  Sufferer* 


to  love  them  all  as  they  were  my  own.  But  I'll  never 
marry  him,"  she  added,  with  determination. 

"He  would  not  be  cur  enough  to  insist  upon  that; 
but  our  duties  lie  in  helping  each  other.  Life  is  but 
short,  and  your  earthly  acts  are  your  heavenly  abodes. 
You  could  not  offer  your  life  for  a  better  cause  than 
to  give  it  to  save  a  family  of  five  who,  in  my  judg 
ment,  are  otherwise  doomed  to  dissolution  and  final 
destruction,"  said  he  gravely. 

"Oh,  I  will !  But,  no,  I  can't !  I— I  love  you,"  she 
cried,  and  buried  her  head  in  her  hands. 

Lankey,  greatly  touched,  continued  gravely :  "Don't 
borrow  any  worry,  dear  child !  I  hardly  believe  it  will 
come  to  such  a  demand  as  that.  You  are  the  corner 
stone  of  my  life ;  the  only  speck  of  hope  I  now  have. 
Your  loss  to  me  would  rip  my  heart  asunder,  but  my 
soul,  my  spirit  of  heaven,  would  brighten,  were  I  to  aid 
in  securing  others  happiness,  to  save  others  from  a 
doom  that  not  only  staggers  the  body,  but  kills  the 
soul." 

"But — but — would  you  that  I  be  sacrificed  ?  I  would, 

I  would,  but "  painfully  exclaimed  the  poor  girl, 

as  she  broke  off,  sobbing  deeply. 

"I  would  not  have  you  sacrificed,  dear  May.  Life 
to  me  will  be  withered  without  you,  and  God  forbid 
that  it  should  come  to  where  you  should  be  sacrificed. 
It  would  be  an  immense  blow  to  all  our  hopes,  but  our 
duties  must  be  considered.  My  atonement  would  rest 
with  my  soul's  proclamation ;  it  bids  me  suffer  myself 
for  others." 

"But,  oh,  how  could  I  make  such  a  sacrifice?"  ex 
postulated  May. 

"You  shall  not  suffer  yourself,  unless  you  are  per 
suaded  by  your  own  spirit  of  thought.  I  shall  not  ask 
you  to  sacrifice  yourself,  but  if  fate  so  bids  I  must, 
with  my  life  and  hopes  buried  within  you,  stand  aside 

132 


C&e  Little 


and  permit  its  course.  The  loss  of  you  would  be  a 
lasting  blow,  from  which  I  could  not  recover.  It  would 
be  a  sacrifice  for  us  both.  Within  the  depth  of  our 
souls,  inextinguishable  lights  would  gleam,  and  there 
would  always  point  the  better  way.  Though  the  suf 
fering  be  for  others,  the  reward  would  be  our  own. 
But  it  has  not  yet  come  to  that,  and  I  pray  for  our 
souls'  relief  that  it  will  not  come.  Let  us  not  despair," 
he  ended  cheerfully,  stroking  her  gently  on  the  cheek. 

"No,  what  you  say  is  so.  While  it  would  be  my 
life's  glory  to  help  the  unfortunate  O'Neils,  I  hope  it 
can  be  accomplished  without  yielding  our  own  happi 
ness,"  returned  May,  looking  up  cheerfully. 

They  remained  sitting  and  lightly  touched  upon  little 
details  in  relieving  the  O'Neils,  and  presently  shifted 
over  upon  their  own  future  hopes.  At  length  they 
were  disturbed,  as  Harry  O'Neil  entered.  After  hav 
ing  cast  a  glance  at  his  sick  wife,  who  was  peacefully 
sleeping,  he  took  a  seat  at  the  table  beside  them.  He 
described  the  tremendous  parade  and  demonstration 
which  Jack  Stevenson,  candidate  for  the  Assembly,  had 
received.  The  People's  Independent  Party  were 
thronging  through  all  boroughs  and  proceeding  with 
bands  of  music  and  illuminations  with  lanterns,  torches 
and  banners  with  inscriptions.  They  lauded  Jack  as 
a  proper  candidate.  Upon  the  canvas  of  one  wagon 
was  printed  in  large  letters :  "The  Cruelty  of  the 
Juvenile  System  must  end.  The  obsolete  method  of 
punishing  children  for  parents'  neglect  must,  to  save 
the  generation,  receive  its  death-knell."  The  other 
wagon's  transparency  bore  the  inscription:  "Take  po 
lice  out  of  politics.  Let  us  have  a  force  to  protect  our 
interests  and  not  blunderers  and  brutes  to  act  for  poli 
ticians  and  their  parties." 

Harry  was  happy,  and  May  felt  cheered  with  hope 
as  O'Neil  related  Jack  Stevenson's  strong  progress  on 

133 


Little 


his  attempt  to  overthrow  the  System,  for  this  meant 
the  ultimate  release  of  the  little  ones. 

Lankey  tried  to  show  buoyancy  though  he  did  not 
feel  it.  He  had  for  years  watched  and  studied  the 
various  attempts,  by  a  few  individual  reformers,  to 
take  away  the  tremendous  power  of  the  Juvenile  Sys 
tem  and  lift  the  yoke  which  is  now  carried  by  many 
innocent  youths  and  good  parents.  But  his  hopes  had 
been  blasted,  as  every  attempt  had  met  with  failure 
and  the  System  had  fattened  and  now  towered  above 
all  as  a  guardian  angel  and  a  benevolence  to  abused 
childhood.  In  order  to  add  courage  to  his  girl's  hopes 
and  that  of  his  friend  Harry,  Lankey  remarked :  "The 
people  will  some  day  awaken  to  the  fact  and  shove 
away  the  blinds  which  now  shield  the  unchristian 
charity  of  the  System." 

"In  the  morning,"  now  said  Harry,  as  they  arose 
and  parted  for  the  night,  "I  have  to  be  at  the  Special 
Session  Court  in  answer  to  the  complaint  of  the  Juve 
nile  System,  or  rather  the  People  as  complainants,  in 
which  name  it  reads." 

CHAPTER  XIII. 
HARRY  O'NEIL  DISAPPOINTED. 

At  ten  o'clock  sharp,  as  the  summons  read,  Harry 
O'Neil  stalked  inside  the  Special  Session  court-room 
of  Brooklyn  Swamps.  He  took  a  seat  within  the 
crowded  enclosure.  The  chairs  and  benches  were 
crowded  with  all  classes  of  criminals,  new  and  old 
offenders.  Their  crimes  attributed  to  them  ranged  from 
receiving  of  stolen  goods,  highway  robbery,  assault 
and  battery,  up  to  that  of  delinquency  in  payments  to 
the  Juvenile  System.  All  of  them  were  at  present 
free;  either  out  upon  bail  bond  or  upon  summons. 

134 


Cfte  Little  §>iifferer0 


In  conjunction  with  its  public  duties,  this  people's 
court  is  a  tributary  to  the  private  Juvenile  System. 
The  court  exacts,  collects,  and  coerces  for  it.  Nat 
urally  with  these  extra  duties  it  is  a  busy  forum,  and  it 
requires  three  judges. 

Upon  matters  of  irregularities  in  payments  into  the 
Juvenile  System,  the  dignitaries  are  relieved  from  the 
burden  of  adjusting  guilt  or  innocence.  There  is  no 
question  of  that  kind.  Towering  above  them  is  the 
System's  superintendent.  He  renders  the  verdict; 
upon  him  hangs  the  decision.  The  descending  judges 
simply  consent  and  deliver  the  verdict  of  the  System. 

As  the  case  of  the  People  against  Harry  O'Neil 
was  called,  the  System's  superintendent  appeared.  He 
was  stern,  and  he  read  the  court  his  order  which  the 
judge  again  conveyed.  Interpreted,  the  command  was: 
"You  pay  or  you  go  to  jail.  I  will  give  you  to  the 
twenty-ninth." 

Harry  had  brought  money  with  him.  He  concluded 
not  to  take  advantage  of  the  grace  of  time,  and  pro 
posed  to  make  an  immediate  settlement.  He  was  re 
ferred  to  the  System's  local  branch  office  to  pay  his 
judgment,  and  he  forthwith  repaired  there.  He  soon 
reached  the  System's  handsome  building.  As  he  en 
tered  the  office  he  gaped  with  wonderment.  Though 
only  a  local  branch,  it  was  wholly  alive  with  activity. 
It  had  the  appearance  of  a  banking  system.  Spaces 
were  railed  off  and  glass  partitioned.  A  line  of  un 
fortunates,  mostly  women;  some  well-clothed,  and 
others  in  rags,  stood  awaiting  to  take  their  turn  in 
depositing  their  money  with  the  receiving  clerk.  Each 
depositor  held  a  pass-book  in  hand,  and,  upon  reaching 
the  window,  the  book  with  money  was  handed  in  above 
the  counter.  The  clerk  within  counted  the  bills  or 
change  and  receipted  the  book  with  a  stamp,  where 
upon  he  again  returned  it. 

135 


C6e  Little  Sufferer* 


All  these  depositors'  pass-books  bore  credit  vouch 
ers  only.  There  was  a  receiving  window,  but  none 
for  withdrawing  money.  Once  passed  over  the- counter, 
it  is  saved  from  withdrawal;  it  becomes  a  part  of  the 
System's  hoardings  and  of  no  concern  to  the  depos 
itors  or  to  the  public. 

Harry  O'Neil  as  yet  had  no  pass-book,  but  was 
credited  by  the  clerk  with  the  amount  he  paid.  It 
was  stamped  into  a  brand-new  book  and  handed  him, 
with  instructions  to  call  regularly.  He  left  the  insti 
tution  with  the  rank  and  file  of  the  socially  mulcted, 
and  soon  reached  his  home.  The  day  was  gone,  which 
added  to  his  fine,  meant  one  day's  loss  in  pay. 

Harry  O'Neil,  however,  showed  no  sign  of  despon 
dency;  he  was  a  brave  man,  and  had  partly  become 
accustomed  to  abide  fate's  working.  He  cherished  the 
hope  that  things  would  soon  come  his  way,  but  did  not 
lie  idle  to  await  that  deliverance. 

Harry  had  worked  himself  into  favor  with  his  firm, 
who  now  offered  to  aid  him  in  getting  his  children 
released.  It  was  a  little  after  nine  o'clock  this  fol 
lowing  morning  that  Harry,  light  at  heart,  set  out  with 
one  of  his  employers,  the  head  of  the  firm.  He  kissed 
his  wife  good-by.  The  sick  woman  was  hopeful  of 
success  as  her  husband,  and  thought  she  felt  strong 
enough  to  sit  up. 

There  were  none  among  them  there  who  looked  for 
a  more  speedy  relief  than  May  Thornton.  In  fact, 
she  had  never  abandoned  the  hope  of  getting  the  chil 
dren  released,  for  these  last  couple  of  days,  since  her 
receipt  of  Dan  Connors'  second  letter,  she  had  however, 
been  a  very  unhappy  girl.  She  had  promised  the  be 
reaved  mother  that  she  should  have  her  children, 
though  it  be  the  cost  of  her  own  life.  The  piteous 
clamoring  of  little  Louise  had  been  silenced  by  the 
promise  that  she  could  surely  depend  on  her  soon  to 

136 


€&e  Little 


have  her  released.  In  her  evening  prayers  she  had 
implored  God  to  suggest  means  by  which  she  could 
bring  about  the  release  of  the  little  ones.  And  now 
her  prayers  had  been  heard ;  she  could  fulfil  her  prom 
ise.  But  alas,  was  it  at  the  cost  of  her  own  happiness, 
her  own  life?  In  order  to  establish  their  release, 
would  she  have  to  marry  Dan  Connors?  This  would 
indeed  be  a  sacrifice  of  herself.  It  would  mean  a  liv 
ing  death,  a  continued  torture  to  soul  and  body. 

May  would  carry  herself  bravely  in  front  of  her  sick 
friend  and  Harry.  George  felt  as  touched  as  the  poor 
girl.  He  loved  her,  and  would  have  fought  and  risked 
his  life  for  her,  but  he  was  not  selfish  enough  to  bid 
her  to  stay  by  him  if  her  duties  called  her  elsewhere. 
He  knew  that  a  man  in  Dan  Connors'  position,  and 
with  a  varied  political  influence,  would  be  the  one 
most  likely  to  effect  the  children's  release.  Past  rec 
ords  and  experience  had  convinced  George  that  openly 
to  fight  the  Juvenile  System,  as  Jack  Stevenson  was 
now  doing,  and  cause  them  to  be  subject  to  investi 
gating  commissions,  would  aggravate  the  System.  In 
the  end  it  would  clinch  them  more,  hand  in  hand,  with 
the  political  machines. 

'The  Juvenile  System  cannot  afford  to  weaken  nor 
relent,  no  matter  upon  how*  strong  a  public  demonstra 
tion  ;  it  would  be  an  acknowledgment  of  the  System's 
wrong  course.  To  attack  it  is  like  fighting  fire  with 
kerosene.  The  only  remedy  for  its  not  becoming  more 
powerful  is  to  leave  it  devour  what  it  has,  but  save 
what  it  has  not  yet  secured.  Watch  your  little  ones 
as  a  shepherd  watches  his  flock,"  was  Lankey's  logic. 

George,  however,  would  never  for  a  moment  discour 
age  May.  He  would  say:  "Bear  it  up,  child.  Noth 
ing  is  really  so  bad  as  it  looks.  What  enfeebles  us 
most  is  that  we  are  always  looking  for  worse  to  come. 
Our  minds  are  too  apt  to  go  to  extremes  upon  either 

137 


Cbe  Little  Sufferers 


side.  It  is  likewise  so  with  our  hopes  and  happiness, 
upon  realizing  them,  they  often  show  but  very  faint." 

Elder  Mrs.  Thornton  would  worry  with  May;  and, 
though  she  would  encourage  and  hope  for  the  best, 
she  felt  anxious  over  the  outcome.  She  knew  what  it 
meant,  should  her  daughter  marry  Red  Hook  Dan, 
and  she  also  felt  that  May's  mind  was  so  strongly  set 
upon  helping  the  O'Neils,  that  her  happiness  depended 
thereupon. 

All  this  day,  while  Harry  and  his  employer  were 
scurrying  about,  appealing  to  various  heads  of  weight 
and  power  in  the  Juvenile  System,  Mrs.  O'Neil  and 
May  were  doing  but  very  little  else  than  speaking  of 
the  joy  it  would  bring  them,  were  they  to  obtain  the 
children's  release.  May  had  heard  that  many  rich 
business  people  or  men  of  power  very  often  got  chil 
dren  released  for  their  parents,  by  either  having  the 
judge  speak  for  them  to  the  System,  or  else  speaking 
through  friends  who  were  large  donators,  or  else  di 
rectors  or  associate  members  of  the  Juvenile  System. 
It  was  natural  they  would  fasten  some  hope  upon  this 
day's  understanding,  as  Harry  O'Neil's  firm  were, 
besides  rich  and  reputable  business  people,  known  as 
generous  contributors  to  most  institutions  which  ap 
pealed  to  them  for  aid.  It  might  reasonably  be  ex 
pected  that  the  Juvenile  System  also  derived  some  ben 
efit  from  Harry's  firm,  as  the  System's  course  was  to 
beg  for  funds  from  any  known  individual  or  firm  which 
were  charitably  inclined. 

The  parlor  clock  struck  seven.  May  long  since  had 
supper  ready  and  the  table  prepared,  but  Harry  had 
not  as  yet  appeared.  "Probably  they  will  bring  the 
children  along  with  them,"  hopefully  ventured  Mrs. 
O'Neil.  She  felt  so  improved  and  cheerful  that  she 
begged  May  to  give  her  another  cup  of  tea.  They 
agreed  that  Harry's  long  absence  meant  good  news. 

138 


CJe  Little  Sufferers 


They  had  left  early  in  the  morning  for  the  sole  pur 
pose  of  having  the  children  released,  and  Harry's  em 
ployer  was  not  likely  to  spend  a  whole  day  without  at 
taining  results.  Both  of  them  would  listen  at  every 
footstep  to  catch  the  first  tiding  of  the  children's  re 
turn. 

As  the  dial  of  the  clock  showed  seven-thirty,  Lankey 
George  entered  and  joined  the  women  in  the  sick 
room.  He  was  happy  to  see  Mrs.  O'Neil  so  much  im 
proved,  and  he  also  noted  May's  good  spirit.  As  he 
seated  himself,  he  lightly  inquired  if  there  were  any 
good  news. 

"Don't  you  think  Harry  is  detained  so  as  to  bring 
the  children  with  him,  since  he  stays  so  long?  He  said 
when  he  left  that  he  would  be  back  about  three  or  four 
o'clock,"  said  Mrs.  O'Neil  buoyantly. 

"You  know  that  Mr.  O'Neil  would  not  stay  away  so 
long  unless  something  kept  him,"  added  on  May,  in  a 
similar  tone. 

Lankey  had  been  much  tried  of  late  in  showing  a 
false  spirit.  It  pained  him  to  hold  out  rash  hopes,  and 
it  also  hurt  him  as  much  to  give  them  his  discourag 
ing  ideas.  In  his  opinion,  had  Harry  returned  early, 
it  would  indicate  a  good  result ;  but  the  longer  the  time 
the  less  hope  he  held  out.  It  meant  too  much  scouring 
about  to  fulfil  the  object.  Had  they  to  go  too  much 
out  of  the  way,  and  through  many  different  channels, 
he  feared  that  the  chances  diminished. 

Of  course  Lankey  had  to  offer  some  kind  of  opin 
ion,  as  both  of  the  faces  looked  at  him  for  a  reply. 
"Well,  to  me  it  seems  an  ill  omen  to  stay  so  long,  but 
again  it  takes  time  to  produce  anything  good.  Let  us 
hope  for  the  best,  and  not  be  discouraged." 

Barely  had  he  expressed  himself  before  footsteps 
from  the  hall  were  heard.  Mrs.  O'Neil  and  May  lis 
tened  with  their  breath  in  suspense,  but  only  the  steps 

139 


Cbe  Little 


of  one  were  heard ;  it  was  Harry  which  all  recognized. 
Their  spirits  immediately  sank  within  them ;  it  was  the 
first  step  of  their  disappointment.  Mrs.  O'Neil,  who 
was  about  to  drink  her  tea,  without  taking  it,  let  the 
cup  sink  back  upon  the  saucer. 

Harry,  covered  with  mud,  entered,  looking  much 
tired  and  worn.  He  tried  to  assume  a  pleasant  look, 
but  his  dejected  spirit  could  not  be  hidden.  His  wife 
and  May  measured  him  with  disappointment.  Mrs. 
O'Neil  tried  to  be  heroic,  and  lay  back  upon  the  pillow 
smiling  to  her  husband,  for  whom  she  felt  as  strongly 
as  for  herself,  and  she  said :  "Let  us  not  worry,  dear, 
but  live  in  hope."  But  the  poor  woman  deceived  to 
encourage  her  husband,  who  looked  crestfallen.  She 
was  worrying  herself,  and  it  gave  a  sting  to  her  long 
declining  hopes. 

"Yes,  that  is  so,  my  Nelly,"  returned  Harry,  in 
forced  cheerfulness.  "If  we  but  have  patience  and 
courage,  things  will  come  out  right." 

May  was  as  unhappy  as  any  of  them.  She  had 
brought  her  mind  to  look  upon  it  as  a  duty  to  save  the 
O'Neils  at  any  cost,  and  she  loved  the  family  enough 
to  do  so.  The  only  hope  she  now  bore  was  that  Dan 
Connors  would  release  them.  But  what  would  it  cost  ? 
She  could  not  think ;  she  leaned  back  in  her  chair  and 
gazed  blankly  about. 

Lankey  noticed  it ;  he  felt  for  the  three,  and  he  feared 
the  worst.  Others'  joy  would  mean  his  and  May's 
sorrow ;  but  now  it  was  all  sorrow  and  no  happiness. 
Could  he  and  May  but  purchase  their  happiness,  their 
own  sorrow  would  be  somewhat  tinged  with  joy. 

A  few  moments  of  silence  followed,  which  George 
broke  by  saying:  "A  black  sky  does  not  always  bring 
rain;  let  us  await  and  look  for  the  clear  patch  back 
of  it." 

Lankey  George  grew  to  be  much  of  a  philosopher  as 

140 


C6e  Little 


he  became  older.  He  was  well  read  in  his  younger 
days,  and  had  in  humble  life  of  late  years  continued 
to  read.  His  manifold  sad  experiences  in  life,  com 
bined  with  his  good  qualities  and  knowledge,  had  made 
him  broad  and  deep.  His  words  and  influence  greatly 
prevailed  upon  his  friends,  who  always  felt  a  relief 
in  his  presence. 

"George  and  I  will  go  out  in  the  kitchen  and  take 
a  bit  to  eat,"  said  Harry,  rising.  He  was  too  disap 
pointed  and  heartsick  to  eat  anything,  but  was  anxious 
to  explain  to  George  this  day's  experience,  which  he 
cared  not  to  do  in  his  wife's  presence  for  fear  of  ag 
gravating  her  ills. 

May  followed  to  take  the  things  out  of  the  oven 
where  she  had  placed  them.  "To  get  my  children  and 
save  my  wife,  my  only  hope  now  lies  in  Jack  Steven 
son's  success,"  began  Harry,  after  seating  himself. 

May,  who  overheard  it,  said  nothing.  She  cast  a 
glance  at  Lankey,  which  he  met  squarely,  though  both 
hearts  were  heavy.  Neither  Harry  nor  his  wife  sus 
pected  that  May's  heart  could  be  the  means  of,  or 
stood  in  readiness  to  break  for  the  healing  of  theirs. 
Had  the  good  O'Neils  been  aware  of  her  intention, 
neither  of  them  would  have  consented,  as  they  both 
had  learned  to  love  her  as  one  of  their  own. 

After  having  supplied  himself  with  some  little  food. 
Harry  again  said:  "At  seven-thirty  to-morrow  night 
there  is  to  be  the  biggest  demonstration  at  Cooper 
Union  which  has  ever  been  held  in  the  city.  Jack 
Stevenson  is  going  to  speak  upon  the  Juvenile  Sys 
tem's  course,  and  he  invites  a  debate  thereon.  He 
bids  every  mother  and  father  come  and  listen,  and 
every  citizen  to  meet  with  him  and  decide  if  the  Juve 
nile  System's  charter  and  rights  are  not  entirely  un- 
American." 

"That  man  Jack  Stevenson,  if  for  nothing  else  than 

141 


Cfje  Little 


his  courage,  has  earned  the  right  to  be  mayor  of  the 
best  town  in  the  States,"  remarked  Lankey,  a  little 
sceptically,  as  he  lightly  thumped  his  ringers  on  the 
edge  of  the  table. 

"You  don't  seem  to  have  much  expectation  of  his 
success ;  don't  you  think  it  will  work  to  a  good  effect  ?" 
searchingly  said  Harry.  "I  hope  you  will  come  along 
to  hear  him,  anyway." 

"I  certainly  will  go  to  hear  him,"  answered  Lankey. 
"I  love  to  hear  a  good  man,  particularly  if  he  speaks 
from  the  heart,  which  I  feel  Stevenson  does.  As  to 
the  effect,  it  is  at  least  an  agitation.  No  brook  was 
ever  so  clear  but  a  stirring  would  throw  something 
upon  its  surface.  Churn  up  the  Juvenile  System,  and 
the  stench  will  awaken  Satan ;  but  then,  my  friend,  the 
rest  of  the  world  are  not  angels,"  he  ended  cautiously. 

"You  never  commit  yourself,  George,"  lightly 
laughed  Harry.  "If  I  did  not  know  you  so  well,  I 
would  take  you  for  a  pessimist.  But  whatever  be  the 
result  from  Jack  Stevenson's  crusade,  I  shall  forever 
remember  him  with  thanks." 

"Yes,  I  am  pessimistic  when  I  deal  with  hell  and 
fire.  The  brimstone  of  the  Juvenile  System  had  burned 
into  the  heart  of  society.  It  is  crowned  with  wreaths 
of  shame,  and  will  remain  a  master  foe  until  the  curse 
which  made  it  will  crush  and  swallow  it,"  returned 
Lankey  savagely.  "But  then  let  us  not  despair,  friend. 
The  remnant  of  heaven  is  the  happy  glow  within  us, 
and  I  feel  the  joy  of  heaven  that  I  bore  my  sufferings 
as  I  did.  At  the  end  of  it  all  I  shall  feel  I  was  the 
victor." 

Harry  was  carried  away  from  his  purpose  of  ex 
plaining  his  day's  journey  by  his  friend's  utterances, 
and  remained  sitting  a  moment,  as  if  to  take  up  the 
thread.  Lankey  aided  him  by  asking :  "Did  you  meet 
with  reverse  results  all  along  the  line?" 

142 


C&e  Little 


"That  is  just  what  I  wanted  to  tell  you!"  cried 
Harry.  "Yesterday  you  know  I  was  at  court,  and  aft 
erward  in  the  Juvenile  System's  clearing  house,  as  you 
call  it,  and  squared  my  accounts.  I  explained  to  you 
last  night  of  the  sumptuous  office  and  their  clean  up- 
to-date  banking  system,  but  I  meant  to  ask  you  what 
the  System's  purpose  is  in  having  around  the  walls  in 
its  outer  room  so  many  and  various  pictures  of  ragged 
and  cadaverous-looking  little  children?  Each  picture 
had  a  clipping  with  printed  matter  thereon,  and  a  num 
ber  pasted  upon  it." 

"If  you  read  the  clippings  you  would  notice  that  it 
explains  of  cases  where  the  System  had  been  called 
upon.  These  are  but  extremely  low  cases  which  the 
System  generally  steer  clear  of;  a  few  are  seletted 
which  they  hold  out  merely  as  a  business  card,  so  as 
to  have  it  appear  that  the  System  is  caring  for  the 
real  homeless  and  neglected,  and  thus  awaken  donors' 
sympathy.  These  miserable  scrapings  from  the  slums 
are,  however,  soon  disposed  of  by  the  System ;  they 
are  either  merchandised  out  west  to  do  firm  labor,  or 
else  shoved  over  upon  the  city  training  schools.  Of 
course,  if  they  are  good,  healthy  workers,  they  are  re 
tained,  for  the  System  keeps  no  one  to  eat  his  head  off. 
As  to  the  numbers  by  which  each  picture  is  identified, 
this  is  a  convenient  method  of  their  own  to  keep  track 
and  trace  their  stock.  Every  picture  in  the  rogues' 
gallery  also  carries  its  number;  so  do  carcasses  in 
slaughter-houses,  and  every  merchant  numbers  his 
goods.  Don't  you  see  ?" 

As  George  finished  Harry  began :  "Well,  I  was  very 
much  disappointed  and  my  boss  felt  as  disgusted  as  I. 
Our  first  visit  was  to  see  the  session  judges.  We  saw 
Bilkings,  Clemmons,  Amus,  and  a  couple  of  others  in 
this  borough  and  Manhattan.  All  of  these  judiciaries 
sit  upon  Juvenile  cases,  and  are  known  to  be  friendly 


Little 


with  the  System.  While  they  perhaps  have  no  power 
to  direct  the  System  upon  any  course,  they  at  least 
are  so  close  that  a  word  of  recommendation  would  be 
considered.  These  judges  scanned  us  over  and  they 
would  probe  to  find  out  if  we  carried  any  letter  or 
held  strong  affiliations  with  any  of  the  established  po 
litical  parties.  My  boss,  interceding  for  me,  had  no 
individual  standing  upon  any  political  score,  which 
fact  they  soon  grasped,  and  each  of  them  ventured 
the  contention  that  the  children  were  better  off  in  the 
Juvenile  System. 

"One  judge,  whose  name  was  O'Keen,  or  some  name 
like  it,"  he  continued,  "was  extremely  frank  and  more 
courteous  than  any  of  the  others.  He  shook  his  head 
gravely  and  explained  to  us  that  the  Juvenile  System 
grants  no  release  to  children,  except  upon  its  own  de 
sire.  Judges  are  helpless  to  act  or  to  interfere.  When 
once  a  child  is  committed,  unless  a  judge  has  a  good 
standing  with  the  Juvenile  System,  his  recommenda- 
itions  have  no  weight  at  all.  He  was  powerless  to  aid 
us,  but  he  advised  us  to  go  to  the  branch  and  lay  our 
pleas  before  the  superintendent. 

"Thereupon  we  proceeded  to  the  local  branch  of  the 
System.  We  dropped  into  a  seat,  awaiting  the  super 
intendent,  who,  with  his  assistant,  was  busy  negotiat 
ing  a  deal  with  a  man  named  Miller  who  was  anx 
ious  to  have  his  seventeen-year-old  son  released,  as  he 
was  very  poor  and  had  a  sick  wife  and  could  not  af 
ford  to  continue  payments.  As  I  understood  it,  Miller 
owed  the  System  thirty-six  dollars.  It  would  not  de 
liver  the  youth  up  unless  the  full  amount  was  paid,  or 
they  were  given  some  security  that  the  money  would 
be  paid,  and  meanwhile  the  amount,  or  ratio,  per 
week  accumulated.  The  superintendent  and  Miller, 
after  some  dickering,  finally  came  to  terms  of  settle 
ment.  The  System  was  to  receive  one-third  cash  upon 


C6e  JLittle  g>ufferer$ 


the  delivery  of  the  goods — the  lad  I  meant" — he  cor 
rected  himself — "and  the  System  was  to  draw  fifty 
cents  per  week  out  of  the  young  man's  wages  from  a 
promised  job  until  the  balance  was  paid." 

"That  is  a  clean  game  of  legalized  ransoming,"  ex 
claimed  Lankey.  "While  upon  its  exterior  it  seems  to 
be  but  a  petty  scheme,  it  is  monstrous  in  gross  re 
sults,  and  it  strikes  at  the  hearts  of  the  poor  mothers." 

"Well,  I'd  be  glad  to  pay  nearly  any  amount  for  my 
children,  and  I  would  break  a  bank  to  get  the  money," 
said  Harry  reflectively. 

"Yes,  many  a  parent,"  responded  Lankey,  "when 
idle  for  want  of  work,  in  order  to  meet  the  System's 
demand,  is  forced  to  defraud  his  landlord,  grocer,  and 
butcher.  Nay,  I  have  heard  of  instances  where  mothers 
sell  their  honor  to  get  a  few  dollars  to  hand  over  to 
the  System  for  fear  of  arrest  in  failure  to  comply. 
However  small  the  amount  appears  which  the  System 
requires,  it  is  not  always  so  easy  for  a  poor  family  to 
meet  the  demand,  besides  caring  for  their  own  imme 
diate  needs.  While  it  no  doubt  cost  something,  were 
parents  to  keep  them,  it  would  but  be  nominal,  as  rents, 
fuel,  and  care  remain  the  same.  There  can  be  noth 
ing  so  preposterous,"  continued  he,  "as  that  poor  work 
ing  parents  should  be  compelled  to  pay  a  monthly 
bondage  for  their  children.  When  children  reach 
sixteen  or  seventeen  and  up,  they  should  rather  be  a 
help  than  a  burden.  But  of  course  it  is  by  this  course 
that  the  Juvenile  System  thrives;  besides  tolling  the 
parents  of  these  young  people  for  board  and  clothing, 
it  enslaves  them  on  its  farms." 

"The  System's  method  of  holding  children  is  clean 
up-to-date,  as  their  little  serfs  are  held  out  as  bait 
for  innocent  donors,  and,  through  its  systems  of 
courts,  it  blackmails  the  parents.  It  is  a  clear  gain 
at  either  turn." 

145 


Little 


Both  men  now  remained  still  for  a  few  moments 
whereupon  Lankey  again  began :  "As  to  the  lad  sev 
enteen  years  old  you  spoke  about  which  the  System 
saw  fit  to  release  upon  moneyed  terms,  it  is  probable 
that  some  influence  had  been  brought  to  bear  upon  it. 
However,  the  superintendent's  persistency  in  securing 
himself  and  getting  what  he  craved,  notwithstanding 
the  man's  pleading  of  poverty,  is  a  further  evidence 
that  the  Juvenile  System  is  not  run  upon  a  charity 
basis." 

"Well,  as  I  said,"  replied  Harry,  "upon  the  close  of 
the  deal  between  the  superintendent  and  the  father, 
we  were  motioned  by  the  clerk  to  step  near.  The 
superintendent  remained  standing  in  the  background, 
viewing  us  out  of  the  corner  of  his  eyes.  He  listened 
attentively,  but  said  nothing.  'I  am  Mr.  X.,'  began 
my  boss,  and  handed  his  card  through  an  opening  in 
the  glass  partition.  'I  came  to  see  what  can  be  done 
about  this  man's  children.  He  is  very  respectable,  and 
an  able  man,  and  his  home " 

"  'Well,  you  needn't  mind  about  all  that ;  that  is  for 
the  System  to  decide.  Have  you  got  a  letter  from  any 
of  the  judges?'  broke  off  the  clerk. 

"  'We  have  been  to  several  of  the  judges/  answered 
my  boss,  'but  it  appears  that  they  have  no  control  in 
the  matter.' 

"  'Nor  have  they/  the  clerk  again  broke  in.  'It  lies 
entirely  with  our  committee  at  Hastings  Hill  whether 
it  feels  disposed  to  release  the  children  or  not.  I  am 
sorry  we  can  do  nothing  for  you  here  this  time/  he 
ended  abruptly,  and  began  his  work. 

"The  clerk's  demeanor  discouraged  further  present 
ment  of  our  case.  Disgusted,  we  proceeded  to  Hast 
ings  Hill.  My  boss  hired  a  carriage  at  the  railroad 
terminal,  which  took  us  up  the  hill  to  the  Juvenile 

146 


C6e  Little  Sufferer* 


Village,  which  you  know  lies  in  the  centre  of  the 
farm. 

"Happy,  and  in  anticipation  of  seeing  my  boy,  I 
alighted  from  the  carriage  at  the  office  building  and 
ran  to  his  cottage.  The  matron  in  charge  met  us 
with  a  stern  rebuke  for  calling  without  a  permit. 

"  'It  is  only  on  regular  visiting  days  and  by  special 
Sunday  permits  that  parents  are  received.  Children 
cannot  be  disturbed  in  their  duties,'  she  remarked,  and 
recommended  us  to  go  to  the  office  upon  any  other 
business. 

"However,  the  superintendent  was  not  then  in. 
While  awaiting  him,  we  walked  around  the  grounds. 
But  truly,  George,  if  you  ever  read  any  fairy  tales  of 
dwarf  lands  you  would  think  the  writer  had  copied  it 
from  the  Juvenile  System.  The  grounds  thereabout 
were  swarmed  with  these  little  half-grown  young 
sters.  All  were  clothed  in  overalls  and  jumpers,  soiled 
and  dirty  from  labor.  It  was  a  hurry  and  hustling 
everywhere.  In  the  shoe-shop,  tailor-shop,  upon  the 
fields,  gardens,  and  all  around  the  System's  territory 
these  little  mites  were  each  at  their  post.  They  all 
appeared  alike,  excepting  some  looked  more  tired  than 
others.  Although  it  all  had  the  atmosphere  of  reality, 
it  appeared  like  a  colony  of  matured  dwarfs. 

"I  was  anxious  that  my  boy  should  notice  me,  that 
we  might  greet  each  other,  but  their  strict  discipline 
has  taught  them  to  watch  their  work  and  stay  at  it. 
And  in  their  gait,  to  and  fro,  look  straight  ahead. 
However,  after  waiting  three  quarters  of  an  hour, 
the  superintendent  of  this  famous  spot  met  us. 

"  'What  can  I  do  for  you  ?'  he  asked,  in  a  measured 
politeness. 

"We  began  to  explain  our  mission,  but  had  scarcely 
spoken  the  sentence  out  as  he  half  turned  and  said: 


C&e  Little 


'Oh,  you  are  on  the  wrong  track.  I'm  not  tending  to 
that  part  of  the  business.  You  will  have  to  go  to  the 
main  office  down  in  Manhattan,  where  the  committee 
sits  upon  all  official  matters.' 

"Angered  and  disappointed,  we  re-entered  our  wait 
ing  carriage  and  drove  back  to  the  train,  reaching  the 
main  office  just  before  the  closing  hour.  The  commit 
tee  was  still  in  session,  but  busy.  A  clerk  bade  us  to 
take  a  seat  till  we  were  called.  The  door  into  the  com 
mittee  room  stood  ajar,  and  this  enabled  us  to  over 
hear  and  follow  the  proceedings. 

"It  appeared  that  a  friendly  interceder  and  a  father, 
who  had  a  son  in  the  institution,  were  calling  upon  a 
similar  mission  as  ours.  How  old  the  lad  was  which 
the  System  held  in  captivity  can  be  guessed  at,  as  he 
was  committed  past  his  fifteenth  year,  and  as  the  con 
versation  ran  he  had  now  been  in  the  System's  charge 
for  two  years.  The  interceder  spoke  nothing  for  a 
long  while.  The  father  was  heard  complaining:  'I 
am  working  for  small  wages  and  need  all  my  earnings 
to  keep  up  my  home;  every  dollar  is  a  great  deal  to 
me.  That  boy  I  supported  for  more  than  fifteen  years, 
up  to  two  years  ago,  when  he  was  committed  to  the 
institution,  and  now  when  he  reaches  an  age  when  he 
could  be  of  some  help  to  me  and  earn  some  little ' 

"  'Ah,  you  want  your  boy  out  so  he  can  go  to  work 
for  you?'  sneeringly  snapped  one  of  the  sitting  com 
mittee  men. 

"'Not  exactly,  sir,'  retorted  the  pleading  father, 
'but  it  at  least  relieves  me  of  caring  for  him  any 
longer.  I  have  other  little  ones  to  look  after,  and 
that  lad  is  big  enough  to  earn  his  own  support.' 

"Here  a  voice  which  I  learned  came  from  his 
friendly  interceder  was  heard.  He  said :  'Yes,  I  guess 
he  earns  his  support  where  he  is.  I  have  looked  thor 
oughly  into  the  matters,  and  I  find  this  man's  son  was 

148 


little  §>uffeter0 


committed  and  held  under  Penal  Code  675.  It  is  no 
criminal  offence,  but  simply  a  charge  of  disorderly 
conduct,  for  which  a  grown  or  mature  person  receives 
at  most  but  a  punishment  of  a  three  months'  servitude 
at  any  public  institution.  This  boy  has  now  served 
two  years  with  his  release  apparently  far  off,  and  you 
maintain  that  you  have  a  right  to  call  on  his  parents 
to  contribute  for  his ' 

"  'Here,  here !  Whom  are  you  who  dare  to  speak 
thus?  For  your  imprudence  I  will  now  hold  the  lad 
until  he  is  twenty-one,'  interrupted  a  stern,  loud  voice, 
evidently  one  of  the  committee  members. 

"  'Oh,  very  well.  I  shall  proceed  to  have  the  lad  out 
upon  habeas  corpus/  returned  the  interceder.  'As  a 
matter  of  fact,  the  boy's  commitment  was  based  on 
no  actual  offence  of  being  disorderly.  It  was  a  tech 
nical  charge  preferred  by  the  boy's  mother,  to  break 
him  of  the  habit  of  running  about  with  other  boys. 
She  asked  the  sitting  judge  at  the  Juvenile  Court  to 
send  him  away  for  a  couple  of  weeks.  As  to  whom  I 
am/  continued  he,  'I  am  a  reporter  for  The  Knocker, 
and  I  thank  you  for  having  given  me  material  for  an 
excellent  story.' 

"  'Well,  well !  Here,  my  dear  sir,'  in  a  much  modi 
fied  tone,  came  from  the  same  committee  man,  'let  us 
not  become  so  hasty  and  lose  our  heads.  Your  ex 
planation  of  the  boy's  commitment  which  you  say  was 
adopted  to  keep  the  boy  away  from  bad  company  en 
tirely  alters  my  position  in  the  matter.  Under  the 
circumstances  I  don't  see  how  we  could  hold  the  boy. 
I  cannot  release  the  boy  at  once,  but  two  weeks  from 
to-day,  which  falls  on  the  nineteenth,  his  father  may 
call  for  him  at  Hastings  Hill,'  he  ended,  with  affa 
bility,  and  thanked  the  reporter  for  having  called." 

At  this  point  of  Harry  O'Neil's  narrative  Lankey 
George  broke  in:  "The  delay  of  two  weeks  in  releas- 

149 


Little  Sufferer* 


ing  the  lad  was  the  committee  man's  clever  thought. 
On  the  seventeenth,  don't  you  know,  is  the  System's 
anniversary  day.  Every  inmate  is  needed  to  make  a 
show  and  impress  the  rich  invited  guests." 

"The  System's  people  in  this  instance,  however,  met 
their  Waterloo,"  remarked  Harry. 

"An  elephant  will  trumpet  and  tremble  for  fear 
upon  seeing  a  mouse,"  returned  Lankey.  "The  giant 
Juvenile  System  could  not  suffer  the  least  attacks  upon 
it  by  any  measly  writers.  It  is  not  the  fear  of  effect, 
but  the  vision  of  being  gazed  at  from  all  sides  which 
makes  the  System  tremble." 

"However,"  said  O'Neil,  "we  were  not  so  fortunate 
as  the  ones  preceding  us.  We  were  roughly  motioned 
into  the  committee  room,  where  the  three  members  sat. 
They  all  looked  a  bit  flurried  and  a  bit  mild,  but  soon 
became  stern.  'Well,  what  do  you  want?'  was  de 
manded  by  the  committee's  spokesman. 

"My  boss,  a  man  of  personality  and  a  fluent  speaker, 
after  introducing  himself,  informed  them  of  my  de 
sire,  and  offered  the  System  to  vouch  for  the  chil 
dren's  safety  and  good  care.  He  also  explained  my 
wife's  serious  illness,  and  added  that  if  the  children 
were  not  returned  it  would  mean  their  mother's  death. 

"  'Well,'  dryly  replied  the  spokesman,  'the  children 
are  there  too  short  a  time  to  be  on  the  home  list.  The 
best  we  can  do  for  you  is  to  send  an  attendant  down 
to  see  their  mother  once.  Anyway,  she  is  not  fit  to 
take  care  of  them  if  she  is  as  sick  as  you  say.' 

"'Oh,  God!'  said  I.  'Had  she  the  children,  the 
mother  would  be  cured  and  herself  again  in  less  than 
a  week.' 

"  'You  are  a  good  prophet,  my  man.  We  sit  here 
and  hear  so  many  excuses  it  nearly  tires  us  to  listen/ 
answered  the  spokesman,  looking  at  his  watch,  as  with 
his  associates  he  arose  and  prepared  to  leave.  'I  don't 

150 


Cfce  Little  ^uffercrs: 


see  how  we  can  consider  the  matter  at  present.  You 
will  have  to  excuse  us,  the  time  has  drawn  out  so  late/ 
wherewith  the  trio  passed  us  and  left  the  building. 
They  entered  a  waiting  automobile  and  sped  away. 

"How  I  felt  I  need  not  explain ;  and  my  boss — well, 
you  know  it  all,"  abruptly  ended  Harry,  with  disgust 
upon  his  face. 

"I'm  sorry  for  you,  friend,"  sympathized  Lankey. 
"While  your  firm  is  one  of  high  standing  in  the  busi 
ness  world  and  regarded  well,  I  never  look  for  much 
influence  from  such  sources  when  dealing  with  tardy 
and  shady  problems.  Why,  a  vagranted,  repeating 
voter  from  any  of  the  Bowery  or  Pell  Street  lodging 
houses  would  have  had  more  weight  and  influence  in 
this  and  like  instances,"  cried  Lankey,  as  he  bade  them 
good  night. 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

JACK   STEVENSON    UPON   THE  JUVENILE   QUESTION. 

May  Thornton  daily  read  the  paper  for  Mrs.  O'Neil. 
She  greatly  revived  her  sick  friend  this  morning,  as 
she  showed  her  a  page  which  spoke  of  Assembly  Can 
didate  Jack  Stevenson's  contemplated  meeting  for  that 
evening  at  Cooper  Union,  where  he  promised  publicly 
to  lay  open  the  flaws  of  society's  dealing  with  the  chil 
dren,  and  agitate  an  upheaval  against  the  formidable 
Juvenile  System. 

"God  bless  that  man !  He's  fighting  for  a  grand 
cause,  for  every  child  he  returns  to  its  mother  he  earns 
a  heaven.  For  truly,  dear  May,  a  mother's  love  for 
her  children  has  no  comparison,"  said  Mrs.  O'Neil, 
and  she  added  longingly :  "If  I  only  felt  a  little  bit 
stronger  I  would  go  over ;  I  should  love  to  hear  him." 


Cfte  Little  §>ufferer$ 


"Harry  and  Lankey  are  going ;  I  should  love  to  go, 
too,  but "  and  May  halted  reflectively. 

"But  you  don't  like  to  leave  me  alone?"  added  on 
Mrs.  O'Neil.  "How  can  I  live  to  repay  you,  dear 
May,  for  what  you  have  done  for  me  ?  A  sister,  nay, 
a  mother,  could  not  have  watched  more  faithful  over 
me  than  you  have.  In  my  bereavement  you  have  shone 
as  a  star  of  hope;  you  are  illuminating  my  wretched 
life.  I  should  love  to  live  to  see  that  you  would  at 
least  be  rewarded  for  your  tender  care."  Raising  her 
self  into  a  sitting  position,  she  said  to  May,  as  she 
reached  out  her  hand:  "You  must  go  to  hear  Jack 
Stevenson  to-night,  I  beg  you.  I  feel  very  strong  and 
well  and  can  easily  get  along  alone." 

"Indeed,  if  I  go,"  quickly  said  May,  "mother  and  my 
little  sister  will  be  here  and  keep  you  company.  Katie 
is "  here  she  halted. 

"Katie  is  going  out  with  her  company?"  surmisingly 
said  the  sick  woman,  smiling  gently.  "You  began  to 
tell  me  the  other  night  as  the  men  folks  came  and  in 
terrupted  us.  He  is  a  policeman  you  said  ?" 

"Yes,  and  he  is  doing  duty  in  Jack  Stevenson's 
home  district.  Quite  a  coincidence,  isn't  it  ?"  answered 
May.  "He  knows  Jack  well,  and  thinks  he's  a  fine 
fellow,  but  he  dare  not  show  his  good  feeling  toward 
him  because  of  the  animosity  which  the  Department 
holds  against  him.  For  the  least  little  thing  these  po 
licemen  do  which  does  not  suit  certain  politicians,  they 
are  transferred,  and  are  given  double  post,  or  they  lay 
in  fear  of  some  plot  to  fine  or  break  them.  He  told 
Katie  all  about  it." 

"But  you  will  promise  me  to  go  to-night  then?" 
asked  Mrs.  O'Neil,  as  May  finished.  "We'll  have  lots 
of  things  to  talk  about  to-morrow.  Oh,  I  so  long  to 
hear  it ;  I  know  his  plan  must  be  good  and  will  help  us 
mothers.  But,"  she  added,  "if  it  is  not  convenient 

152 


C&e  Little  Sufferers; 


for  your  mother,  I  really  feel  well  enough  to  remain 
alone." 

"Don't  speak  that  way,"  mildly  reproached  May. 
"You  know  that  mother  loves  to  spend  a  little  while 
with  you,  she " 

"All  right,  dear,  thank  you,"  broke  in  Mrs.  O'Neil. 
"I  know  she  does,  and  I  feel  so  happy  when  any  of 
you  are  around  me,  that  I  cannot  explain  it.  God  was 
kind  to  me  that  he  sent  me  in  my  affliction  such  good 
people  as  you  all  are.  It  is  truly  as  Lankey  says, 
'There  never  was  a  night  so  dark  but  light  could  be 
made  to  reflect/  "  she  ended. 

As  Mrs.  O'Neil  mentioned  Lankey's  name  May's 
face  flushed.  Though  they  often  spoke  of  George, 
she  at  that  moment  fancied  something  of  the  joy  it 
would  afford  her  to  be  with  him  for  the  entire  even 
ing.  Though  O'Neil  was  to  go  along,  his  company 
never  interfered  with  their  talk  and  thoughts.  Gen 
erally  he  would,  when  in  their  presence,  appear  too 
absorbed  to  regard  them.  However,  May  was  fully 
awake  to  what  her  friend  said,  and  with  a  bow  of  ac 
knowledgment  replied:  "Yes,  truly,  that  is  so."  But 
then  a  dark  cloud  drew  over  her  face,  she  sadly  re 
flected  upon  Red  Hook  Dan's  letters.  What  would 
be  to  lighten  her  burden?  Was  she  ultimately  to  give 
herself  to  effect  the  release  of  the  little  ones  and  re 
store  the  health  of  her  friend? 

But  May  did  not  remain  in  sad  thoughts  long,  for 
her  friend  was  in  too  good  spirit  for  her  to  feel  de 
pressed.  The  night's  promised  event  quickened  hopes 
that  Jack  Stevenson  would,  by  his  forceful  attack, 
break  the  Juvenile  System  and  release  the  children 
and  thus  scattered  the  last  of  her  depressing  thoughts. 

May  busied  herself  with  everything,  as  was  her  cus 
tom  ;  she  was  never  idle,  if  not  engaged  in  house- 
cleaning,  cooking,  or  ironing,  she  would  sit  beside  Mrs. 

153 


Little 


O'Neil  and  mend,  sew,  or  knit.  Nevertheless,  this 
day  seemed  to  drag  out  longer  than  usual.  George  was 
to  be  there  at  six  o'clock,  and  join  them  at  supper, 
after  which  they  were  to  go  to  the  meeting.  Every 
fifteen  minutes  she  would  stir  restlessly.  At  last  when 
it  reached  five  minutes  of  six,  George  entered,  with 
Harry  following  ten  minutes  later. 

After  ending  their  meal,  May  set  her  little  sister  to 
work,  cleaning  the  table  and  washing  the  dishes,  while 
she  herself  prepared  to  join  Lankey  and  Harry,  who 
were  both  in  readiness.  The  trio  reached  the  meeting 
hall  an  hour  before  the  appointed  time.  That  they 
were  not  too  early  showed  itself,  as  half  the  hall  was 
then  filled,  and  they  were  followed  by  streams  of  lis 
teners.  Half  an  hour  before  the  time  announced,  there 
was  barely  standing  room. 

The  assembly  was  of  a  greatly  mixed  variety ;  it 
had  neither  political  nor  religious  aspect ;  there  seemed 
no  one  class  nor  nationality.  On  the  seats  beside  an 
ill-clothed,  careworn  mother,  would  sit  a  finely  dressed 
lady  or  maiden  with  comfortable  expression ;  beside  a 
gentleman  with  gold-rimmed  spectacles  would  crowd 
a  dusky  laborer  or  mechanic.  It  was  a  joining  of  old 
and  young,  rich  and  poor,  happy  and  gloomy,  to  hear 
Jack  Stevenson,  who  had  of  late  sprung  into  promi 
nence  for  his  bravery  in  his  single-handed  attack  upon 
the  Juvenile  System,  which  was  by  this  civilized  nation 
looked  upon  as  an  empire  within  a  kingdom. 

The  audience  did  not  have  to  wait  long;  Jack  ap 
peared  ten  minutes  ahead  of  time.  The  hall  rang  with 
applause  as  he  took  his  place  upon  the  platform.  Be 
side  him  were  a  couple  of  his  friends  and  perhaps  a 
dozen  jurists  and  other  eminent  men  of  talent  whom 
the  Juvenile  System  had  hired  to  step  up  and  defend 
any  attack  which  might  be  directed  against  it. 

Jack  Stevenson  easily  looked  their  superior.     His 

154 


Clje  little 


clean-cut,  stalwart  and  healthy  appearance  was  easily 
noted.  He  had  a  soul  and  heart,  and  feared  not  to 
expound  the  truth.  His  opponents,  though  richly 
dressed  and  wearing  the  tender  of  gentlemen,  were 
haggard.  They  stood  beside  him  as  a  Judas  to  defend 
the  System ;  they  were  to  sell  their  blood  and  crucify 
children  on  the  cross  of  shame.  Jack  Stevenson  was 
cheered  and  lauded  with  praises ;  he  had  won  the  vic 
tory  before  he  had  begun. 

While  not  a  college  graduate,  Jack  was  well  edu 
cated,  and  was  intelligent,  forceful,  and  convincing. 
He  had  a  natural  gift  of  words.  He  had  of  late  been 
thrown  much  before  the  public  and  had  delivered  many 
addresses,  which  fact  aided  him  to  impress  masters 
of  mind,  and  gave  effect  to  his  every  word. 

He  introduced  himself,  not  with  any  political  flour 
ish,  nor  as  a  candidate,  not  to  force  himself  upon  a 
public,  but  simply  as  an  American,  as  a  citizen  who 
had  a  right  to  be  heard  upon  a  topic  of  burning  im 
portance. 

"Ladies  and  gentlemen,"  he  began,  as  he  drew  near 
the  outer  edge  of  the  stage,  "did  it  ever  dawn  upon 
you  that  the  childhood  of  to-day  is  a  nation's  future? 
The  bane  of  the  young  is  the  course  of  the  old.  Child 
hood  and  youth  are  a  nation's  wealth  and  strength ;  as 
it  is  reared,  it  becomes  effective.  Let  me  say,  that  if 
we  cannot  improve  thereupon,  we  cannot  build 
thereon. 

"Take  a  glimpse  inside  of  the  panels  of  our  Juve 
nile  or  Children's  Courts,"  he  continued,  "and  you  are 
gazing  upon  a  wholesale  depraved  system,  a  hamper 
ing  of  youthful  growth.  You  will  see  many  good 
little  ones  of  able  and  thrifty  parents  brought  there 
for  no  crime  whatever,  and  you  will  see  a  cesspool  of 
misguided  little  ones  stagnated  through  parental  neg 
lect,  who  are  flowing  through  society  and  to  pollute 

155 


Little  §>ufferer0 


the  rest  of  the  world.  These  unfortunate  little  ones, 
immature  in  mind,  innocent  of  their  own  plight  and 
conditions,  are  for  causes,  or  no  causes,  made  to  face 
stern  mature  courses  of  courts  and  justices  which 
grown  society  had  established  to  deal  with  mature  con 
ditions  only.  This  young  growth  is  ripped  away  from 
nature's  bosom  of  true  parental  care  and  planted  out 
in  artificial  nurseries,  kindred  asylums,  and  institu 
tions,  which  thrive  and  wax  fat  from  profits  wrenched 
from  the  marrow  of  these  little  ones. 

"A  Juvenile  Court  and  Institution  is  by  no  means  a 
good  start  in  life;  it  not  alone  casts  a  shadow  upon  a 
child's  future,  but  it  reflects  upon  its  parents  and  it 
reflects  upon  the  child's  future  father  and  motherhood. 
Children's  courts  and  institutions  are  sinful  because 
they  do  not  consent  to  correct  evil  where  the  evil  lies. 
A  child's  guilt  lies  only  in  the  extent  of  its  parental 
grant.  Whether  this  grant  be  hereditary  or  due  to 
too  much  liberty,  these  little  ones  cannot  be  held 
responsible  beyond  their  own  understanding  and  teach 
ings  as  to  right  and  wrong. 

"Children's  courts  are  crimsoned  with  guilt  for  its 
lack  of  good  and  fundamentally  true  purposes.  They 
are  the  elementary  course  which  aid  and  abet  the 
seizing  of  innocent  little  children  and  turning  them 
over  upon  to  be  guarded  and  cared  for,  or  rather  rup 
tured  in  mind  and  body,  by  juvenile  corporations, 
cloaked  under  names  of  benevolent  juvenile  institu 
tions " 

"Sir!  Sir!  Sir!  I  protest,"  interrupted  a  vener 
able  appearing  judge,  who  had  been  called  to  defend 
the  System.  "On  behalf  of  our  good  government, 
which  ordains  laws  and  saw  fit  to  establish  such  courts 
which  stand  for  the  principles  which  it  represents,  I 
hereby,  as  a  citizen  respecting  such  laws,  ask  you  to 

156 


Cbe  jLtttle  Sufferers 


rescind  your  statement  and  express  yourself  with  more 
regard  for  our  worthy  State  and  its  laws." 

His  Honor  bowed  pompously  as  he  reseated  him 
self.  The  hall  was  a  tumult  of  loud  hisses  and  whis 
tling,  and  with  this  sentiment  of  encouragement  Jack 
Stevenson  proceeded.  With  a  bow  toward  his  Honor, 
he  began : 

"Thank  you,  sir,  I  have  nothing  to  withdraw,  but  I 
shall  be  as  regardful  of  rights  and  as  moderate  as 
circumstances  will  permit,  but  I  shall  not  hide  facts, 
nor  shield  wrong.  That  the  best  of  governments  can 
be  in  error  is  evident  by  the  fact  that  we  people  are 
constantly  learning  and  changing  our  thoughts  and 
making  laws  to  suit.  What  I  have  said  is  but  mild 
toward  what  I  contemplate  saying."  He  paused  to 
look  toward  his  large  audience,  who  madly  applauded 
him  as  he  threw  this  bomb.  The  defenders  of  the 
System  shifted  nervously  about.  "The  land  with  its 
trade-mark  of  freedom  and  liberty,  with  a  constitu 
tional  grant,  tolerates  a  private  institution  to  go  into 
homes  and  abduct  children,  imprison,  punish,  exact 
ransoms,  drudge  them  and  chattel  them  about  the  coun 
try  to  slave  for  farmers.  This  is  as  much  an  avowed 
fact,  as  it  is  a  fact  that  our  juvenile  courts  and  ses 
sion  judges  aid,  abide,  and  approve  thereof." 

The  twelve  or  more  gentlemen  who  had  appeared 
to  defend  the  Juvenile  Course  and  System  winced  and 
moved  uneasily  upon  their  chairs,  but  remained  seated. 
Jack  Stevenson  continued:  "Among  others  we  have 
one — a  private  incorporated  company  with  a  consoli 
dated  board  of  directors — which  acts  and  works  upon 
self-made  laws.  It  handles  youngsters  from  all  around 
the  States  as  though  they  were  herds  of  cattle  or  com 
mon  merchandise.  This  private  incorporated  Juvenile 
System  which  lives  and  exists  under  our  State  laws 

157 


Cfte  Little 


has  apparently  more  right  and  power  than  is  vested  in 
any  really  public  institution.  Wonderful,  is  it  not? 
But  it  is  nevertheless  a  truth.  (Great  applause  and 
hissing.)  This  private  System,"  resumed  he,  "draws 
from  the  State  fifty  thousand  dollars  annually;  it  has 
a  chartered  right  to  enter  homes  of  the  poor  and, 
without  warrant  or  any  established  course,  seize  the 
children  from  this  miserable  class  and  through  mech 
anism  of  courts  and  justice,  under  threats  of  arrest 
and  punishment,  blackmail  parents  for  payment  for 
the  keeping  of  their  children. 

"These  little  ones  are  half  fed,  half  clothed,  half 
schooled,  and  are  worked  from  their  tiny  age  up  to 
their  final  release.  They  neither  see  freedom,  real  sun 
shine,  nor  receive  a  caressing  nod ;  no  word  of  love  or 
encouragement  ever  reaches  them.  It  is  all  true,"  he 
added  dramatically.  "Were  I  to  lay  it  all  before  you, 
it  would  read  like  a  tale  of  Siberian  cruelty. 

"Now  while  this  System  draws  from  the  tax-payers 
fifty  thousand  dollars  annually,  and  has  the  use  of  our 
courts,  judges,  police,  hospitals,  and  other  allied  pub 
lic  properties,  no  system  of  accounting  has  ever  been 
offered  or  given  out.  In  fact,  it  could  not  be  forced 
from  the  governing  body.  'It  is  none  of  the  public's 
business,'  is  the  System's  answer.  Now,  in  addition, 
this  System  extorts  from  parents,  grafts  upon  the 
sympathy  of  individual  donors,  and  sweats  the  little 
ones  to  the  drain  of  their  marrows." 

"Will  you  permit  me?"  said  a  speaker  from  the 
group,  stepping  forward.  "Our  friend,  Mr.  Stevenson, 
is  inconsistent  and  unfair;  he  is  talking  under  a  spell 
of  prejudice  against  the  Juvenile  System.  Some  of 
you  are,  perhaps,  well  aware  of  that  he  was  dismissed 
from  the  police  force  some  while  ago  for  some  indis 
creet  act  or  failure  to  live  up  to  his  duties.  One  of 
the  System's  agents  appeared  against  him  for  just 

158 


little  Sufferers: 


causes,  and  his  dismissal  from  the  force  he  lays  to 
the  Juvenile  System,  and  now  he  seeks  revenge  by 
circulating  false  rumors." 

That  this  speaker  was  not  as  generally  approved  as 
Jack  instantly  was  apparent.  Not  a  single  sound  of 
applause  was  heard,  but  only  continued  groans  and 
hissing.  He  was  about  to  reseat  himself  when  Jack 
Stevenson  challenged  his  statement.  "If  any  one  is 
inconsistent  and  unfair,  it  seems  rather  to  be  laid  to 
you,  as  you  are  becoming  personal.  Though  I  beg  to 
say  that  you  were  very  modest  in  arraigning  me,  were 
it  not  more  of  good  form  for  you  to  disprove  my  state 
ments  with  some  facts  to  the  contrary?" 

Upon  this  the  former  speaker  again  moved  forward. 
"I  will  disprove  it,  sir,"  he  began  hotly.  "The  Juve 
nile  System  has  been  in  existence  for  fifty-three  years ; 
this  fact  alone  adds  honor  to  its  title.  A  patriot,  a 
noble  veteran  of  American  wars,  who  bears  pure  old 
English  aristocratic  blood,  established  it.  Of  excel 
lent  character,  honorable  of  purposes  as  he  was,  he 
would  never  have  lent  himself  to  a  scheme  where  the 
slightest  thread  of  dishonor  and  injustice  were  ever 
likely  to  be  shown  in  effect.  To  show  you  some  of 
the  System's  splendid  doings,  I  will  read  you  a  recent 
abstract  of  work  done,"  he  added,  and  drew  a  type 
written  slip  from  an  inner  pocket,  and  read:  "One 
branch  of  the  Juvenile  System  in  their  four  months' 
work,  comparing  with  ten  years  ago,  shows  there  is 
an  increase  of  180  per  cent,  in  the  number  of  investi 
gations,  and  an  increase  of  1,600  per  cent,  in  the  item 
of  prosecution  upon  the  juvenile  cases,  with  a  300 
per  cent,  increase  in  the  number  of  children  indefi 
nitely  detained,"  ended  he,  satisfied,  re-seating  him 
self. 

"Thank  you,  I  shall  discuss  your  last  statement 
first,"  responded  Jack  Stevenson.  "Your  own  proof 

159 


C6e  Little 


of  facts  is  that  the  community  must  be  simmering  in 
juvenile  filth,  and  grows  lower  in  sin  at  a  tremendous 
rate.  Your  abstracts  of  facts  also  admit  or  otherwise 
accuse  the  weakness  and  lack  of  our  government  sys 
tem  that  cannot  compute  its  own  statements  upon  so 
vital  a  matter  as  childhood,  the  corner-stone  of  the 
nation.  Does  it  not  show,  sir,"  directed  Jack,  "that 
there  is  need  of  reform  where  a  private  money-grab 
bing  corporation  can  lay  claims  and  exercise  itself  as 
a  clinic  to  perfect  a  coming  generation?  While  we 
speak  of  it,  let  me  state,"  said  Jack,  "there  is  alone 
in  some  single  division  of  these  children  courts 
brought  before  judges  yearly  six  thousand  children, 
all  ranging  from  infancy  to  sixteen.  Upon  both  of 
these  shown  facts,  does  it  not  prove  that  courts  and 
institutions  to  deal  with  children  are  no  proper  social 
remedies  ?" 

"Let  me  again  say,"  he  continued,  after  a  second 
pause,  "our  children's  courts  are  unnatural  institu 
tion  schools  for  our  youths.  A  reprimand  there 
tendered  does,  at  best,  but  imbue  fear,  and  truly  a 
child  cannot  blossom  upon  fear;  its  impulsive  mind 
and  unruly  spirit  cannot  be  corrected  by  a  mild  nor 
severe  judge.  The  force  of  character  and  bidding 
must  be  forced  upon  children  by  natural  care,  which 
must  lay  within  their  very  homes.  A  children's  court 
should  be  within  a  child's  own  home;  the  parent 
should  be  encouraged  and  required  by  society  to  aid 
and  correct.  The  delinquencies  should  be  brought 
upon  the  parents  who  are  the  natural  and  true  guar 
dians.  Our  juvenile  courts  are  but  truly  an  imposi 
tion  upon  the  child's  right. 

"So,  likewise,  is  a  juvenile  institution.  A  system 
for  a  child  to  be  brought  up  and  reared  in  should  be 
within  the  home  of  its  parents.  There  he  was  de 
signed  to  receive  instructions  and  refreshments,  to 

160 


Cbe  Little  §>ufferet0 


nourish  both  body  and  soul.  Its  parents  are  the  only 
ones  who  can  fully  develop  the  child.  It  is  their  duty 
and  their  care,  and  they  should  be  the  ones  to  suffer 
and  be  punished  upon  shirking  responsibilities  which 
they  have  taken  upon  themselves.  Let  me  impress 
upon  you,"  he  continued,  "a  child  brought  into  life  has 
a  natural  right  to  be  taught  and  reared  until  it  reaches 
a  state  of  physical  and  mental  independence  when  it 
is  able  to  satisfy  its  own  wants  as  existence  demands. 

"Courts  and  institutions  are  but  exterior  social  at 
tributes  and  incidents  of  mature's  dealings,  an  imma 
ture  soul  cannot  be  brought  close  thereto.  Pampered 
institutions,  as  the  Juvenile  System  and  likewise  the 
Catholic  Protectory,  which  act  as  guardians  of  these 
unfortunate  children,  and  which  are  depraved  in  them 
selves,  can  add  nothing  to  better  their  conditions. 
While  the  bodies  of  these  little  juvenile  victims  are  but 
half  nourished,  the  soul  part  of  the  child  is  entirely 
starved.  They  are  reared  under  conditions  that  can 
not  show  real  humanity,  real  warmth  and  love.  Such 
miserable  children,  as  they  grow  older,  become 
dwarfed  in  body  and  spirit. 

"The  natural  training  of  all  growths,  whether  it  be 
plant,  vegetable  or  human  life,  must  be  in  the  manner 
designed  by  the  Creator;  artificial  application  stunts 
all.  The  system  of  training  and  rearing  must  be  of 
natural  blend,  or  else  the  entire  impulse  of  growth 
will  wither  and  fail  to  unfold." 

After  halting  a  moment  he  continued :  "Touching 
back  upon  our  Honored  Judge's  remark  that  this  par 
ticular  Juvenile  System  or  Society  has  existed  fifty- 
three  years,  and  was  planned  with  the  noblest  of  spirit 
and  started  by  a  God-sent  of  man,  adds  nothing  to  its 
present  methods,  which  are  faulty  and  false.  What 
ever  the  original  purpose  of  this  private  organiza 
tion  was,  I  shall  not  question,  but  the  Tammany  order 

161 


C6e  JLittle  Sufferers; 


and  also  the  Mafia  of  Italy  were  originally  formed 
for  good  purposes,  but  now  both  of  these  have  de 
generated,  and  are  the  black  hands  of  society,  each 
after  its  own  peculiar  effective  manner.  The  one 
makes  and  has  the  law  and  uses  it  to  extort,  and 
the  other " 

"Here,  here!"  broke  off  a  speaker  threateningly 
as  he  jumped  from  his  seat.  "Do  you  liken  the 
Juvenile  System  to  the  dreaded  Mafia  order  of  Italy? 
By  your  intimation  you  are  not  only  insulting  the 
courts,  and  our  honored  judges  who  in  their  duties 
deal  with  the  system,  but  you  betray  the  fate  of  our 
government,  who  grants  it  to  exist." 

This  little  incident  provoked  a  turmoil  in  the  audi 
ence.  Men  arose  to  their  feet,  stamped,  clapped, 
whistled,  hooted  and  shouted.  Mingled  with  this  was 
an  uproar  of  laughter,  and,  as  Jack  began  again,  he 
was  tendered  a  fresh  ovation  of  cheers. 

"There  is  no  need  of  taking  offence  at  my  state 
ments,"  he  resumed,  as  the  excitement  abated  and 
{he  offended  speaker  reseated  himself.  "If  I  likened 
the  Tammany  and  the  Juvenile  System  to  the  black 
hand,  I  should  perhaps  have  added  that  their  hands 
are  gloved.  We  don't  see  them.  No  other  apology 
can  I  extend  you.  In  some  respects  I  should  apolo 
gize  to  the  two  organizations.  I  named " 

Now  arose  another  from  among  their  midst,  a  de 
fender  of  the  System.  He  held  in  his  hand  some  en 
larged  pictures  of  the  Juvenile  Village.  They  were 
pretty,  handsome  cottages,  which  showed  extremely 
neatly  laid  out  surroundings.  He  began  to  explain 
the  beauty  of  it  all,  of  the  physical  and  natural  ad 
vantages  to  the  city  youths,  the  superior  facilities  for 
training  of  youths  taken  away  from  the  slums.  He 
did  not,  however,  dwell  upon  conditions  under  which 
these  beautiful  surroundings  were  maintained,  nor  the 

162 


C6e  Little  &uffcret$ 


cost  of  the  youthful  strength  exacted  to  keep  up  ap 
pearances.  He  did  not  reveal  the  fact  that  it  was  a 
moneyed  system  of  the  strictest  order,  too  raw  in  dis 
cipline,  too  severe  for  a  young  and  growing  child 
who  needs  kindness  and  living  guidance.  He  also 
omitted  to  state  the  effect  it  had  upon  an  incarcerated 
child.  Truly  it  was  but  a  picture  of  a  grim  bird  in  a 
handsomely  gilded  cage.  The  speaker,  however,  was 
not  sincere;  he  could  not  arouse  effect,  he  merely 
warbled  and  made  a  motion  and  shortly  reseated 
himself. 

"What  this  gentleman  showed  you  was  a  soulless 
heaven.  As  to  its  design,  it  may  well  be  likened 
to  a  negro  plantation  system  of  old,  remodeled  upon 
up-to-date  ideas  and  standards  of  our  new  benevolent 
slave  masters  and  industrial  syndicates.  These  grind 
the  souls  of  the  poor  and  defenceless  as  much  in  these 
days  as  in  the  days  of  old.  Only,  as  I  said,  the  modes 
are  different.  The  System  has  built  handsome  cot 
tages,  but  the  souls  herded  within  are  as  lifeless, 
hopeless  wrecks.  It  has  finely  carved  cupboards,  but 
nothing  therein  to  strengthen  their  worn  bodies.  It 
has  etiquette  and  schools,  but  nothing  to  strengthen 
the  mind.  It  is  exterior  display  and  interior  cruelty. 
It  is  a  farce,  and  will  remain  so  as  long  as  it  is  based 
upon  money  consideration.  While  in  public  institu 
tions  there  is  much  lacking,  they  nevertheless  show  a 
less  taint  of  dishonesty,  and  can  be  tolerated  if 
need  be." 

"My  experience  as  a  judge  is,"  volunteered  a  per 
son  with  snow-white  hair,  who  looked  kind  and  sym 
pathetic,  "that  in  so  large  communities  as  the  one  in 
which  we  live,  that  we  need  both  courts  and  institu 
tions  to  correct  the  evils  of  youth  where  parents  are 
neither  able  nor  willing.  The  separate  children's 
courts  are  an  advantage  over  the  old  method  of  bring- 

163 


C&e  Little  %>uffeterg 


ing  the  little  ones  before  the  magistrate  courts.  While 
I  agree  that  juvenile  crime  is  not  decreasing,  I  believe 
in  treating  it  with  kindness  and  consideration,  which 
can  be  done  only  by  having  an  individual  branch  to 
apply  to  and  deal  with  this  class." 

He  seated  himself,  looking  as  if  he  had  scored  a 
point.  Jack  Stevenson  quickly  arose  and  replied: 

"Your  Honor  is  right  in  saying  that  we  need 
courts  and  institutions  to  correct  the  evils.  But  the 
evils  of  the  young  are  the  examples  and  doings  of  the 
old,  and  it  is  there  the  punishment  should  be  laid. 
When  parents  are  neither  able  nor  willing,  as  you 
said,  they  should  be  made  to  care.  It  is  not  a  court's 
duty  to  systematize  a  child,  but  to  systematize  its  par 
ents.  Where  the  parental  system  is  proper,  a  child 
must  naturally  follow  in  the  right  course.  A  social 
system  is  not  a  propagator  of  youth,  but  a  propagator 
of  principles.  It  is  a  mature's  position,  and  must 
deal  only  with  those  past  their  majority.  Until  a 
minor  child  has  reached  the  System's  growth,  it  re 
mains  part  and  parcel  of  its  maker.  It  does  not  re 
quire  wealth  to  produce  good  children,  poverty- 
stricken  homes  can  bring  as  good  results  if  there  is 
no  barrier  for  children  to  founder  upon.  A  mere  men 
tion  of  Lincoln's  name  proves  this. 

"Mischievousness  and  wildness  in  a  youth  is  not 
necessarily  a  criminal  nature,  it  leads  thereto  only  if 
permitted  to  develop  upon  stronger  lines.  Young 
sters,  if  permitted  to  shift  about  and  rear  themselves 
upon  the  street,  for  lack  of  true  parental  care,  nat 
urally  must  degenerate  and  go  astray.  But  to  gather 
them  in  an  asylum  to  finish  their  growth  under  cruel 
artificial  surroundings  is  a  cruel  remedy,  if  it  will  at 
best  remedy  it. 

"As  to  the  idea  of  kindness  which  his  Honor  a  mo 
ment  ago  touched  upon,  I  wish  to  state  that,  to  bring 

164 


Cbe  Little  §>ufferer$ 


a  spirited  boy  before  a  judge  to  be  patted  on  the 
cheeks  with  encouragement,  and  told  that  he  is  a 
pretty  good  boy,  will  not  make  him  so.  It  is  true  we 
can  gain  more  by  a  system  of  kindness  than  by  one 
of  cruelty,  but  it  is  as  true  that  no  result  can  follow 
a  cause  where  there  is  neither  system  nor  method  to 
build  from.  And  again,"  he  continued,  "a  judge  at 
best  can  but  inspire  fear.  Upon  fear  we  cannot  re 
trieve  good  feeling  and  regards.  Whether  the  judge's 
tenor  was  mild  or  hard,  it  would  only  affect  the  lad 
externally.  Would  he  not  obey,  and  could  he  not  re 
spect  his  parents  without  the  aid  of  courts,  it  would 
add  no  influence  to  his  better  inner  self  to  go  into 
court  for  admonition.  Would  he  yield  to  the  judge's 
demand  it  would  then,  at  all  events,  but  be  in  a  spirit 
of  contempt  for  his  parents'  inability  to  exert  com 
pulsion. 

"A  boy  who  must  be  brought  to  court  for  a  repri 
mand  cannot  be  a  pretty  good  boy.  Such  a  coaxing 
from  an  exterior  source  will  have  no  effect  upon  a 
self-willed  youngster;  it  only  sours  his  spirit.  He 
sees  his  upbraiding  parent  ridiculed,  and  he  feels  that 
the  fault  lies  with  them. 

"Your  Honor  reflected  upon  the  separate  children's 
court  system  as  being  an  advantage  over  the  old  sys 
tem  of  magistrate's  courts,"  Jack  said,  directing  his 
attention  to  the  former  speaker.  "I  will  say  that, 
though  it  may  appear  humiliating  to  drag  unruly 
youngsters  to  a  court  where  drunkards  and  disor 
derly  characters  are  brought,  it  is  worth  remarking 
that  these  unruly  youngsters  grow,  thrive  and  asso 
ciate  daily  among  that  class,  and  have  become  so  ac 
customed  to  the  lower  order  of  life  that  they  cannot 
be  humiliated  by  remaining  a  few  minutes  before  a 
judge  who  sits  before  a  class  of  their  own  associates 
and  familiars. 

165 


Cfje  Little  Sufferer* 


"It  is  a  fact  that  since  the  advent  of  children's 
courts  juvenile  crime  or  mischief  has  increased.  We 
believe  it  lies  in  the  fact  that  mischievous  youngsters 
look  upon  these  juvenile  courts  somewhat  as  a  stage 
drama.  Many  brought  before  that  court  of  whom  we 
have  knowledge  consider  themselves  heroes ;  at  all 
events  they  hold  less  fear  for  this  mild  form  of  pun 
ishment  than  for  that  in  magistrate  courts,  where 
stronger  examples  are  shown. 

"While  both  parents  and  children  formerly  showed 
a  fear,  or  at  least  respect,  for  a  regular  magistrate 
court,  the  juvenile  courts  have  to  them  no  meaning 
other  than  that  of  kindergarten.  The  neglectful  par 
ents  who,  by  their  own  disposition  and  example,  are 
unable  to  control  their  children  find  it  very  often  con 
venient  to  hand  their  unruly  offspring  to  this  little 
petty  system,  and  have  the  judge  scold  them.  The 
parents  in  most  cases  are  not  serious;  they  do  not 
want  their  children  punished.  It  is  natural  that  there 
can  be  no  lasting  effect  where  neither  seriousness  nor 
principle  exist. 

"However,  neither  magistrate  nor  children's  courts, 
nor  asylums,  nor  institutions  can  correct  or  assume 
natural  guardianship,  nor  mould  the  mind  of  a  child 
whose  true  parents  still  live.  This  is  because  an  im 
mature  mind  cannot  understand  the  cause  of  the  in 
stitution's  existence,  beyond  being  a  dispenser  of 
punishment.  These  miserable  youths  will  lack  the 
confidence  and  will  awaken  to  the  fact  that  there  is 
neither  real  love  nor  feeling  to  be  found  there.  They 
will  awaken  to  realize  that  it  is  coarser  obligations 
which  bind  them.  Truly  such  children  have  less  to 
cling  to  than  the  ones  entirely  orphaned." 

"Aye,  yes,  how  about  orphaned  children?"  asked  a 
loud  voice  from  among  the  audience. 

"Orphaned  children,"  replied  Jack,  "may,  through 
166 


Cfje  JLittle 


kindred  Asylums  or  Institutions,  grow  up  and  reach 
the  better  estate  of  man  by  reason  of  their  feeling  of 
helplessness;  their  sole  lone  position  in  the  world. 
Their  little  moulding  self  is  set  to  reflect,  they  know 
they  must  lean  against  the  external  world.  The 
coarser  obligations  of  Society  smile  upon  them  less 
hard.  Their  own  little  self  does  not  feel  its  bereaved 
position  laid  to  them  as  a  punishment  for  their  er 
rors,  nor  as  a  reflection  upon  the  depravity  of  their 
parents.  In  their  unfortunate  position  they  learn  to 
appreciate  any  kindness.  Their  speck  of  soul,  their 
natural  love  for  their  parents  whom  they  have  not 
learned  to  disrespect,  stirs  them  and  keeps  aglow  their 
better  sentiments.  Aye,  their  inspiration  and  hope  for 
meeting  their  departed  parents  at  a  future  day  encour 
ages  them  on;  thus  they  can  grow  good  despite  all 
disadvantages. 

"Again,  remove  a  youth  from  his  parents,  place  him 
in  an  Institution.  This  child  will  feel  himself  a  mar 
tyr,  punished  for  some  cause  it  really  cannot  grasp. 
The  child's  spirit  immediately  becomes  inflamed;  nat 
ural  instinct  conveys  to  him  that  he  has  a  right  to  be 
where  his  parents  are.  Restraint  invokes  hatred,  not 
only  against  Society,  but  against  parents  who  the 
child,  by  a  certain  grain  of  reason,  feels  to  be  the 
cause  of  his  unhappy  plight. 

"Thus  we  may  conclude  that  children  removed  or 
committed  through  parental  cause  to  Institutions  find 
nothing  therein  to  inspire  their  minds.  Though  they 
look  forward  some  day  to  receive  their  freedom,  and 
to  meet  their  parents,  it  is  with  a  feeling  blended 
with  reproach.  Their  cruel  detention,  their  youthful 
restraint,  upon  their  rightful  freedom  and  liberty  add 
nothing  inspiring  to  their  minds;  they  learn  to  de 
spise  that  which  they  felt  they  should  have  loved. 
These  juvenile  youngsters  who  grow  up  with  no  ex- 

167 


Cfre  Little  Sufferers 


amples  before  them,  while  not  really  bad  when  com 
mitted,  will  soon  become  so,  or  at  best  will  not  im 
prove. 

"Now  then,  let  us  reverse  positions  and  we  will  es 
tablish  the  remedy.  Reprove  the  parent  instead  of  the 
child;  not  only  would  the  father  and  mother  assume 
their  responsibilities,  but  this  method  would  install  a 
deeper  fear  within  the  child.  The  most  stubborn  and 
incorrigible  child  has  still  a  speck  of  good  nature. 
No  boy  is  so  strongly  unruly  that  he  would  not 
awaken,  were  his  parents  to  suffer  punishment  for 
him.  It  would  take  away  that  bragging  pose  of  being 
a  hero.  It  would  break  his  colt's  nature.  He  would 
feel  that  he  martyrs  his  parents ;  it  would  strengthen 
his  love  and  respect  for  them.  Verily,  study  a  child's 
nature  and  you  will  find  within  it  lies  a  rule  that  says : 
inflict  a  punishment  upon  another  and  it  has  a  strong 
and  more  lasting  effect  upon  his  mind  than  were  he  to 
suffer  it  himself. 

"However,  can  it  be  more  preposterous  that  a  hu 
man  race  with  seeds  of  endowments  should  bear  so 
reprehensible  children  that  their  infant  state  and  young 
pliable  minds  cannot  be  controlled  and  taught 
righteousness  by  their  own  makers?  And  that  in  or 
der  to  sustain  a  right  growth  external  forces  and 
courses  have  to  be  subterfuged  to?  Is  it  not  a  mortal 
sin  that  a  child  in  its  teens  should  be  hauled  before  the 
Courts  of  Justice,  while  the  parents  are  complacently 
permitted  to  root  in  evil  and  in  fact  thus  encouraged 
in  it?  Does  it  seem  intelligent  that  a  mere  infant 
should  be  immured  in  an  Institution,  deprived  of  its 
freedom,  while  the  parents,  the  whole  cause,  are  al 
lowed  to  saunter  at  large,  free  to  enjoy  nature  and 
to  continue  their  work  of  corruption  ? 

"Furthermore,  should  a  parent's  obligation  to  par- 
entdom  but  consist  in  bringing  children  into  the  world 

168 


Cfje  Little  Sufferers 


and  throw  in  upon  Social  Institutions  to  be  provided 
by  public  funds?  Should  not  the  burden  imposed  by 
themselves  be  carried  by  themselves?  Truly,  the 
Courts  and  Institutions  which  now  blight  the  lives  of 
youths  should  be  invoked  to  punish  the  guilty  ones, 
which  is  to  be  found  in  the  parent  branch.  The  disci 
plinary  training  schools  and  parochial  Institutions 
should  be  clinics  for  delinquent  parents,  and  there 
would  be  less  disgrace  brought  upon  an  innocent  hu 
man  mind,  and  Society  would  grow  better  for  it." 

"Permit  me  to  remind  you,"  interrupted  a  Sys 
tem's  sympathizer,  and  stepped  forward.  He  was 
clean  shaven  and  lean,  and  wore  a  Prince  Albert,  and 
looked  in  all  pious.  "While  I  do  not  wish  to  reflect 
upon  the  working  of  our  great  good  government  sys 
tem  or  upon  the  working  of  any  of  its  Institutions,  I, 
though,  however,  wish  to  say  that  there  is  none  among 
our  private  Christian  Endeavor  institutions  which 
treat  their  charges  so  cruelly  and  neglectingly  as  is 
prevalent  and  proven  in  and  among  the  city's  disci 
plinary  and  training  schools." 

He  reseated  himself,  and  it  was  noticed  that  sev 
eral  sympathizers  pressed  his  hands.  All  of  them  ap 
peared  extremely  pleased. 

"Ah,  my  friend,"  quickly  flanked  Jack,  "I  am  glad 
you  brought  this  question  forward.  The  burden  of 
real  bad,  incorrigible  and  untrained  children,  and  the 
ones  mostly  in  need  of  sympathy  and  care,  your  Chris- 
tion  Endeavor  System  does  not  bother  with.  Your 
adopted  are  of  a  class  of  children  who,  in  most  in 
stances,  are  in  no  need  of  strict  discipline,  and  should 
have  remained  in  their  own  homes  in  care  of  their 
own  parents,  who  are  all  able  and  could  be  made  to 
care  and  rear  them  themselves.  Another  fact  is  that 
these  private  benevolent  systems  pick  their  own 
charges  and  select  their  own  stock  of  youngsters.  The 

169 


C&e  Little 


ill  and  the  scum  of  society  they  shove  or  throw  over 
upon  the  public  as  unredeemable,  or  perhaps  as  un 
profitable,  whichever  way  we  choose  to  look  upon  it. 
And  still  another  fact  is,"  continued  he,  "that  nearly 
all  of  these  unfortunate  inmates  now  imprisoned  in 
our  public,  disciplinary,  and  training  quarters  have, 
upon  one  time  or  another,  or  rather,  suffered  their 
first  incarceration  in  some  one  of  the  various  private 
systems.  Aye,  a  primary  course  from  which  they 
graduated  a  medium  to  influence  and  inflame  their 
ills " 

"Sir !  Sir !  I  bid  you  guard  your  utterings,"  broke 
off  a  little  individual,  as  he  sprang  to  his  feet  and  in 
a  threatening  manner  shook  his  fist  at  Jack  Steven 
son.  "Are  you  insinuating  that  our  good  charitable, 
Christian  institutions  are  perfecters  of  crime?"  He 
was  too  excited  to  speak  further,  his  words  clogged 
in  his  mouth,  and  exhaustingly  he  threw  himself  back 
upon  his  seat. 

This  little  incident  created  a  tremendous  stir  among 
the  listening  circle.  A  thunderous  shouting,  hooting, 
stamping,  clapping,  and  whistling  rung  through  the 
hall,  so  that  the  building  vibrated.  Jack  stood  cool 
and  looked  piteously  at  the  infuriated  little  capacity 
who  sat  wriggled  up  in  the  corner. 

"I  am  not  insinuating,"  responded  Jack,  in  slight 
defiance,  as  the  turmoil  had  subsided.  "I  am  accusing, 
and  a  thorough  investigation  will  verify  my  complaint. 
What  is  further,  there  would  be  proved  as  strong  ill 
treatment  of  inmates  within  the  walls  of  those  pri 
vate  benevolent  institutions  as  has  ever  been  laid  bare 
among  the  ones  entirely  run  by  the  public. 

"Now  in  all  fairness,  let  me  ask  you  gentlemen," 
he  addressed  the  entire  group  of  System's  sympathiz 
ers,  who  apparently  sat  as  beaten.  "Does  it  seem  sane, 
does  it  seem  true,  that  a  government  as  ours,  framed 


Little  %>ufferer0 


upon  strict  co-allied  public  principles,  should  be  un 
able,  unworthy,  and  incompetent  of  treating,  caring 
for  and  correcting  its  own  factious  portion  of  so 
ciety;  attend  its  own  neglected  subjects?  And,  in 
order  to  fulfil  human  obligations  and  social  duties,  our 
standard  form  of  government  must  throw  into  private 
cares,  private  dungeons,  this  miserable,  neglected  por 
tion  of  our  commonwealth?  Is  it  not  a  vital  shame 
that  private  courses,  individual  modes  and  systems  can 
step  in  and  take  precedence  over  our  government  in 
stitutions  and  plank  down  rules,  punish,  lead,  and  af 
fect  part  of  the  society?  Where  is  the  Constitution? 
Where  are  the  rights  of  the  remainder  of  society? 
Where  is  self-government?" 

As  Jack  received  no  answer  but  weird  looks,  he 
continued:  "Inabilities  and  failures  by  our  adopted 
form  of  government  to  control  and  regulate  its  own 
functions  and  care  for  its  own  burdens,  enforce  its 
own  examples,  such  a  public  system  should  be  met 
with  dissolution.  Should  it  not?  Our  form  of  gov 
ernment  must,  after  your  view,  be  a  weakling  shame. 
Patriots  as  you  desire  to  shine,  you  are  by  your  acts 
and  courses  proclaiming  monarchial  sovereignty  and 
individual  rule,  against  which  our  forefathers  put 
their  lives  down. 

"In  concluding  my  talk,  I  will  state,  this  free,  hu 
man-loving  country,  it  is  estimated,  has  one  hundred 
and  fifty  thousand  of  these  little  neglected  children 
stowed  together  within  solitary  brick  walls  of  cruel, 
heartless  institutions,  who,  through  unnatural  train 
ing  and  lack  of  true  care,  are  blossoming  into  imbe 
ciles  and  surging  society  with  bad  growth,  implanting 
into  our  newer  race  a  grade  of  moral,  physical,  and 
mental  defected.  I  wish  strongly  to  recommend  this 
proposition:  If  we  cannot  presently  lead  ourselves  to 
compel  a  proper  parental  system  to  care  for  their  own 

171 


C&e  Little 


progenies,  let  us  not  ruin  these  youths,  but  seek  to 
have  them  distributed  throughout  the  country  in  proper 
and  individual  homes,  where  they  at  least,  to  some  ex 
tent,  will  derive  part  of  that  which  nature  designed 
them,"  added  he,  bowing,  and  thanked  the  audience. 

The  applauding  and  cheering  was  tremendous,  while 
the  various  speakers  who  had  come  to  defend  the 
Juvenile  System  hurriedly  sneaked  off  with  their  hats 
nearly  covering  their  eyes.  Jack  Stevenson  remained 
standing,  as  a  hero,  in  the  fight  against  the  System 
of  courts  and  institutions.  As  he  proceeded  to  leave 
the  platform,  he  was  borne  on  the  shoulders  of  strong, 
approving  men.  Weeping  and  crying  mothers  sur 
rounded  him  with  thanks,  and  pleaded  that  he  should 
help  them  to  have  their  little  ones  released. 

Harry  O'Neil  and  May  Thornton  both  wept  with 
joy,  and  hoped  that  he  had  not  failed  to  deal  a  final 
blow  to  the  System  which  caused  them  so  deep  a 
worry.  Lankey  George  approved  of  all  of  Jack's 
speech,  and  would  have  loved  to  press  his  hand;  but 
the  crowd  which  surrounded  Jack  hindered  any  of 
the  trio  from  coming  within  reaching  distance  of  the 
much-honored  and  beloved  speaker.  But,  glad  in  heart 
and  satisfied  in  mind,  the  three  left  the  hall. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

A     LIGHT-HEARTED    DINNER    PARTY. 

Sunshine  now  lit  up  the  O'Neils'  household.  Mrs. 
O'Neil,  though  weak  and  colorless,  was  much  im 
proved.  She  began  to  sit  up  a  greater  part  of  the 
day,  and  would  faintly  walk  around  the  room  and  sit 
in  the  kitchen  with  May,  while  she  was  at  work. 

Jack  Stevenson's  successful  progress  in  his  cam- 
172 


Little 


paign  against  the  Juvenile  System  imbued  her  with 
such  strong  hopes  of  the  release  of  her  little  ones, 
that  in  her  thoughts  she  would  plan  a  reception  for 
their  home-coming.  May  Thornton  felt  similarly  hope 
ful,  and  had  decided  not  to  meet  Dan  Connors  on  the 
day  he  appointed,  and,  as  the  time  passed,  the  ap 
pointment  had  slipped  her  mind.  She  no  longer  gave 
it  a  thought,  but  longed  for  election  day,  when  Jack 
Stevenson  would  be  elected  to  the  Assembly  and  hurry 
through  his  bill  to  abolish  the  System. 

Harry  O'Neil  felt  as  happy  as  either  of  them;  he 
worried  no  longer  for  his  wife,  who  showed  contin 
ual  improvement,  and  he  had  as  much  faith  in  Jack 
Stevenson's  success  as  did  his  wife  and  May.  They 
bought  two  or  three  papers  daily  and  read  accounts  of 
the  strong  progress  the  People's  Party  were  making 
throughout  all  boroughs.  Jack  Stevenson  was  through 
it  all  a  Lincoln  of  the  day.  He  was  fighting  to  free 
the  white  little  human  slaves,  who  suffered  and  en 
dured  more  than  the  negroes  of  old,  and  he  sought  to 
establish  a  proper  and  good  remedy,  whereby  condi 
tions  could  be  righted  and  the  nation  buttressed  with 
a  healthy  growth  of  youths.  Of  course,  some  of  the 
dailies  which  were  controlled  by  other  political  fac 
tions  and  who  were  friendly  with  the  Juvenile  Sys 
tem,  severely  criticised  and  belittled  Jack  Stevenson, 
and  pictured  him  as  ambitious  for  his  own  political 
purposes.  One  or  two  issues  went  so  far  as  to  say 
that,  if  elected  and  seated,  he  would  vote  for  shelv 
ing  his  own  bill  affecting  the  Juvenile  System.  Papers 
which  were  antagonistic  to  the  hopes  of  the 
O'Neils,  it  is  natural  that  they  did  not  read.  Harry 
might  hurriedly  scan  them,  but  he  took  no  stock  in 
their  attitude. 

Lankey  George  was  not  too  over-buoyant,  and  never 
spoke  much  on  Jack's  coming  success.  "The  sun  has 

173 


Little  §>uffeter0 


its  spots,"  he  always  said,  when  things  shone  too 
bright,  but  he  sincerely  hoped  for  the  best.  He  felt 
that  Jack  was  true  and  sincere,  but  he  would  not  dis 
count  his  victory.  Lankey's  study  of  politics  had 
taught  him  that  it  was  not  the  public  or  people  who 
ruled  and  regulated  things,  but  political  machines,  run 
by  the  unscrupulous  few.  Should  the  People's  Inde 
pendent  Party  carry  all  the  boroughs,  it  could  not  ex 
pect  to  do  so  upon  fair  methods. 

A  week  hence  would  be  settled  the  political  outcome 
of  Jack's  efforts.  Both  of  the  good  women  looked 
forward  to  election  day  with  a  bridal  longing,  and 
every  public  tongue  had  Jack  elected,  consequently  to 
all  exterior  view  there  could  be  no  failure.  Every 
day  passed  happily,  merrily,  and  full  of  hope;  on  the 
evenings  the  Thorntons  would  call  and  spend  a  few 
hours  in  Mrs.  O'Neil's  and  May's  company,  and  over 
their  cups  of  tea  they  would  renew  their  discourse 
which  always  ran  in  the  same  strain. 

The  Sunday  before  election  all  the  O'Neils'  rooms 
were  lighted  to  their  fullest  degree.  Mrs.  O'Neil  had 
this  day  herself  helped  May  to  cook  a  dainty  afternoon 
dinner.  Mrs.  Thornton  and  both  of  May's  sisters  had 
joined  them  at  the  table,  and,  with  Harry  and  Lankey, 
they  made  quite  a  light-hearted  dinner  party.  Over 
the  table  Harry  and  Lankey  began  to  discuss  Jack 
Stevenson's  meeting,  and  passed  remarks  upon  the 
various  speakers  and  speeches. 

"Jack  certainly  gave  it  to  some  of  those  judges;  he 
made  them  turn  black  in  spots.  They  had  to  pull  hard 
and  still  they  could  not  draw  their  load,"  remarked 
Harry,  with  such  glee  that  he  nearly  swallowed  the 
chicken  leg  which  he  was  picking. 

"You  nearly  caught  it,"  responded  Lankey  merrily. 
"A  mule  and  a  beer  pump  are  both  made  to  draw,  and 
so  are  those  poor  judges.  The  politicians  hang  on 

174 


Jlittle 


them,  so  does  the  Juvenile  System,  and  also  their 
conscience  or  feelings  of  right  draw  upon  them.  It 
is  consequently  not  to  be  wondered  at  that  they  should 
turn  black  in  spots.  Most  of  our  judges  are  no  doubt 
learned  men,  at  least  more  so  than  the  average  lay 
man,"  he  continued,  in  a  more  serious  tone,  "but  eco 
nomic  conditions  they  never  study;  theirs  is  but  cool 
theory.  They  have  book  learning  to  the  extent  of  a 
writer's  pen,  and  system  of  dead  laws  without  meas 
urement  of  circumstances  and  conditions.  They  can 
not  understand  practical  conditions,  as  all  matters 
come  before  them  in  blended  form.  You  cannot  tell 
a  saw  by  its  buzz,  nor  can  you  understand  the  sys 
tem  of  the  poor  unless  you  have  seen  the  inside  of 
their  homes  and  their  everyday  conditions.  Let  these 
judges  take  a  stroll  about  the  vicinity  of  the  poor,  and 
view  the  parents  sitting  sipping  their  beer  at  nights 
and  roll  tipsy  into  bed  while  their  children  run  about 
the  streets  until  midnight  or  frolic  in  hallways  and 
alleys.  Naturally  these  youngsters  must  go  wrong, 
nor  can  it  be  expected  that  these  children  can  respect 
their  parents.  Such  offspring  grow  up  wild  as  an 
ungardened  plant.  It  is  as  Jack  says:  Punish  and 
teach  the  parents  to  do  their  duties,  and  there  would 
be  less  bad  children,  and  there  would  be  no  need  of 
children's  courts  nor  kindred  Juvenile  Institutions." 
Here  Lankey  lit  his  pipe,  and  took  up  the  conversa 
tion:  "Juvenile  depravity  is  so  common  that  it  is 
looked  upon  as  a  social  necessity.  Many  of  our  phil 
osophers  on  the  bench  give  sanction  to  the  idea  that 
child  depravity  and  vice  are  categorically  one,  and  as 
baser  qualities  of  man  both  must  have  space  and  room 
to  thrive  and  to  a  certain  extent  be  tolerated.  It's  an 
other  way  of  saying  that  wild  oats  are  to  be  expected. 
In  their  opinion  neither  parent  nor  child  is  responsi 
ble.  Their  philosophy  is,  that  angelic  existence  would 

175 


Little  Sufferers: 


be  mythical,  were  all  the  world  shorn  of  devils. 
Aye,  some  of  our  most  learned  go  so  far  in  reasoning 
that  they  look  upon  hell  as  the  primary  course  to 
heaven,  and  the  deviltry  of  man  as  angelic  irrigation 
and  as  essential  to  mankind,  as  is  a  steam  valve  to  a 
boiler."  Here  he  added  laughingly:  "Of  course,  we 
are  not  all  philosophers,  and,  therefore,  must  think 
slowly."  Lankey  moved  his  chair  closer  to  his  friend, 
and,  in  a  light  tone,  mixed  with  seriousness  and  mirth, 
he  went  on :  "While  our  system  of  courts  and  institu 
tions  take  it  upon  themselves  to  maternalize  and  regu 
late  infantile  and  immature  growth,  why  not  as  nat 
urally  enter  upon  a  plan  of  propagating  youth? 
Planting  and  raising  are  relatively  one  issue,  and  re 
main  paralleled  until  it  has  been  perfected  to  a  com 
plete  state  of  development. 

"However,"  added  he,  after  a  moment's  pause,  "this 
method  of  our  children's  court  to  fine-comb  the  chil 
dren  and  let  the  parents  continue  to  heed  vermin,  does 
not  end  the  spread  of  the  disease." 

"By  the  way,  while  our  republican  form  of  govern 
ment  grants  so  unlimited  rights  to  a  private  corpora 
tion  under  which  it  may  act  as  keepers,  guardians, 
teachers,  and  also  to  correct  and  punish  our  young 
folks,"  suddenly  broke  in- Harry,  "why  should  not  as 
just  and  proper  that  grant  apply  to  the  grown  folks? 

"Truly,  this  half-shingling  a  house  makes  a  rudely 
cover.  As  the  Juvenile  System  has  a  tackle  upon  one- 
half  of  Society,  it  would  be  in  conformity  to  hand 
over  the  remainder.  All  public  schools,  almshouses, 
reformatories,  prisons,  and  kindred  State  institutions 
might,  as  socially  proper,  be  run  by  a  private  chartered 
clique. 

"We  enjoy  but  a  partial  government  by  the  people. 
A  semi-public " 

"A  semi-feudal  system,"  broke  off  Lankey.    "And 


C&e  JLittle 


it  will  remain  so,  so  long  as  one  or  a  body  can  ac 
quire  laws  to  rule,  punish,  and  infract  upon  a  whole 
people  as  now  it  does.  Indeed,  our  government  should 
be  broad  enough  to  handle  all  matters  pertaining  and 
affecting  its  own  people,  regardless  of  age,  stage,  and 
conditions  in  life.  Let  me  say,"  continued  he,  "in  a 
country  as  this,  which  proclaims  religious  freedom, 
we  have  altogether  too  much  religious  hysterics.  We 
are  certainly  not  far  removed  from  the  dark  ages, 
the  old  friars'  state,  where  the  monks  and  cloisters 
laid  the  rules  and  yoked  the  people,  so  long  as  we 
permit  any  religious  sect  of  humanitarians  disguised 
to  lay  edicts  for  the  general  people  to  go  by. 

"Search  into  the  methods  of  any  of  our  benevolent 
lauded  systems,"  resumed  he,  "whether  such  are 
termed  Children's  Aid  Society,  Prevention  of  Cruelty 
to  Animals,  Catholic  Protectories,  Vice-Crusaders,  or 
various  linked  others  of  moral  tenders.  All  are  laden 
with  graft  and  shame.  Vandals  of  our  constitutional 
grant.  But  it  is  as  Jack  says,  'Their  hands  are 
gloved,' "  ended  he. 

Here  he  was  interrupted  by  Mrs.  O'Neil,  who  said : 

"Mrs.  Thornton  was  just  telling  me  she  read  that  a 
learned  man  wrote  that  a  mother's  love  and  feeling 
for  her  children  is  but  simple  animal  nature,  like  that 
of  the  coarser  herd.  A  hen  will  scratch  for  her  brood 
of  chicks;  an  eagle  will  claw  for  hers,  and  a  tigress 
will  fight  for  her  cubs,  as  will  a  wretched  mother 
fight  for  hers.  I  think  that  man  was  insulting.  Don't 
you?"  she  ended  inquiringly. 

"Well,  yes,  I  think  he  was  rather  mean,  if  he  ended 
there,"  answered  Lankey.  "While  there  exists  the 
same  acute  fondness  in  both  animals  and  humans,  we 
can  but  compare  it  as  sunlight  and  twilight.  The 
lower  orders  will  discard  their  offspring  upon  the  ar 
rival  of  a  new  brood;  the  cord  of  connection  here 


Ci)e  Little  Sufferers 


breaks.  The  human  or  motherly  love  is  supplanted 
with  a  more  lasting  intelligence  and  sense  of  duty.  A 
mother  will  live  on  and  cling  to  hers  by  her  own  feel 
ing  of  responsibility  and  love.  Her  reflective  mind 
and  her  memories  are  the  connecting  thread  of  con 
tinued  attraction.  A  woman's  love  for  her  husband 
can  be  as  deep  as  a  bottomless  ocean,  but  her  love  for 
her  child  is  as  an  endless  chasm  in  the  universe." 
.  "Well,  now  I  think  I  love  my  husband  as  much  as  I 
do  my  children,"  entered  Mrs.  O'Neil,  sending  a  look 
from  her  eyes  to  her  husband  which  spoke  the  truth. 

"There  is  no  end  to  a  woman's  love  in  either  sphere, 
but  it  affects  differently ;  she  might  die  for  either. 
Her  love  for  her  husband  is  acquired ;  it  is  linked  with 
sense  and  reason,  and  can  be  broken  by  the  same  cord ; 
a  mother's  love  for  her  child  is  natural,  it  is  her  flame 
of  soul  and  self,  there  is  no  cord  to  break,  for  it  is 
an  integral  part  of  her." 

"We  can  love  others,  besides  our  husband  and  chil 
dren,"  remarked  Mrs.  O'Neil,  sending  a  loving  glance 
toward  her  true  friend,  May,  which  was  ardently  re 
turned. 

Lankey  George  understood  her  meaning,  and  fondly 
stared  at  May  as  he  said :  "She  is  like  a  sunbeam,  she 
radiates  from  the  centre  of  her  heart." 

May  thanked  them,  and  blushed ;  but  said  nothing, 
whereupon  her  sister,  Katie,  in  a  teasing  tone,  re 
sponded  :  "Ah,  George,  don't  flatter  her  too  much,  you 
may  later  find  flaws  you  didn't  look  for." 

All  of  them  laughed,  and  George  mildly  assented  to 
the  possibility  which  he  thought  quite  unlikely.  "Very 
true,"  he  went  on,  "every  star  has  its  measured  depth. 
But,  nevertheless,  dear  May,  a  girl  like  you  can  travel 
with  any  girl  and  eclipse  the  best  of  men." 

"There  is  no  mistake  about  that,"  here  entered 
Harry;  "women  as  a  rule  are  too  over- fond  of  their 

I78 


Cfje  JLittle 


children.    I  love  my  little  ones,  but  could  always  see 
their  faults." 

"Here  you  spoke  wisely,"  responded  George.  "To 
sit  as  a  judge  before  your  own  children  is  what  is 
lacking  with  many  a  parent,  regardless  of  social  stand 
ing.  It  is  safe  to  remark  that  any  parents  idolizing 
their  children  will  some  day  suffer  scorn.  As  much 
as  a  child  needs  parental  love,  a  bosom  to  cling  to, 
and  a  heart  and  ear  to  confide  into,  again  as  much  it 
needs  a  firm,  deep  example  and  a  ruling  of  serious 
ness  to  direct  him.  Upon  growing  to  manhood  or 
womanhood,  children  never  betray  strong  love  and  re 
spect  for  a  parent  whom  they  never  learned  to  obey. 
A  brilliant  boy,  brought  up  under  strict  influence  and 
strong  example,  carries  with  him  to  the  grave  the 
memory  of  his  mother  and  father. 

"The  majority  of  parents  with  juvenile  offenders," 
continued  George,  "never  impress  upon  their  little 
ones'  minds  the  real  seriousness  of  their  doings.  Mis 
chief  is  only  looked  upon  as  harmless  pranks,  both  by 
mothers  and  fathers,  and  no  stronger  reprimand  or 
explanation  or  warning  is  given  than  a  light  remark 
of,  'You  better  look  out!'  This  vague  admonition  so 
customary  and  in  the  tone  it  is  spoken,  has  no  other 
significance  to  the  little  mind  than  a  warning  of  'Not 
to  be  caught,'  and,  of  course,  they  ply  their  deviltry 
in  the  spirit  of  ascertaining  how  far  they  can  go  and 
elude  detection  and  apprehension.  In  their  career, 
they  are  led  in  upon  a  stronger  line  and  become  habit 
ual  or  chronic  offenders.  It  is  obvious  that  the  par 
ents  are  entirely  to  blame ;  they  do  not  add  the  right 
interpretation,  nor  show  symptoms  of  seriousness. 
That  responsibility  should  undoubtedly  be  enforced 
upon  the  parents'  mind,  if  by  no  other  means  than  by 
punishing  them.  They  should  realize  the  consequences 
of  their  immature's  acts." 

179 


Cfje  Little  %>uffeter$ 


"While  we  talk  about  it,  the  word  love  is  a  great 
word,  isn't  it  ?"  remarked  Katie. 

"Ah,  love  is  the  broadest  of  all  words ;  it  can  neither 
be  measured  nor  adjusted.  While  the  word  is  that 
of  man,  the  action  is  cosmic,"  answered  Lankey.  "The 
very  word  of  hatred  is  blended  with  love;  every  im 
pulse  and  action,  if  cherished  by  our  own  feeling,  is 
grounded  in  love.  Whether  our  desires  for  gratifica 
tions  be  for  the  good  or  the  better  to  ourselves  or 
others,  they  are  lovers'  actions." 

"I  don't  follow,"  said  Mrs.  Thornton.  "We  can 
only  love  with  our  hearts." 

"It  is  not  the  physical  heart  which  stipulates  warmth 
and  love,  but  it  is  from  the  deeper  thought  cells  of 
man  where  it  bounds.  It  is  a  peculiar  action,  and  is 
grooved  deeper  than  all  combined  senses,"  returned 
Lankey. 

"Yes,  surely  love  is  a  deep  feeling,"  adjoined  Mrs. 
O'Neil. 

"Aye,  truly.  It  is  an  ideal  fixture  of  one's  own 
self,"  responded  Lankey.  "A  loveless  person  is  in 
himself  a  pity.  He  lacks  the  virtues  of  true  existence. 
He  is  as  a  wickless  lamp,  and  his  life  must  be  like 
an  outburned  ember. 

"Love  is  the  radiating  centre  of  all  creation ;  it  is 
a  wisdom's  system.  We,  endowed,  are  grains  of  this 
system.  The  Creator,  the  aspiring  cause,  is  beauti 
ful  and  lovable,  and  the  true  source  of  will  and  wants. 
Thus  love  is  a  cosmic  abode,  and  we  humans  are  part 
and  parcel  thereof,"  ended  he. 

"Why,  a  cat  or  a  dog  or  any  animal  is  a  part  of  cre 
ation,"  broached  Katie. 

"To  be  sure.  But  the  lower  order  is  not  endowed 
with  higher  receptive  qualities.  Nothing  in  creation 
can  stretch  beyond  its  receptive  mind.  Gratifications, 
wants,  wills,  and  ambitions  of  the  lower  life  are  nar- 

180 


Little 


row.  Their  gift  of  love,  the  higher  trend  of  wisdom, 
is  not  divinely  sanctioned  them,  and  they  cannot  as 
pire  beyond  their  receptivity." 

"Say,  George,  you  have  so  finely  defined  a  mother's 
love  for  her  husband  and  children  and  all  other  kinds 
of  love,  now  let  us  have  your  definition,  or  rather 
your  experience,  on  lover's  love,"  broke  in  Katie 
Thornton,  with  a  laugh.  "This  will  interest  me  more." 

"There  are  as  many  ways  to  look  at  it  as  there  is 
to  describe  the  orbs.  The  definition  must  correspond 
with  one's  own  imagination,"  evasively  answered 
Lankey. 

"Oh,  no,  that's  no  explanation,  George;  you  must 
do  better,"  quickly  returned  Katie.  Mrs.  O'Neil  sup 
ported  her  in  this  demand. 

"Perhaps  not,  but  it  leaves  one  to  guess  at  his  own 
position.  As  for  me,  I  would  prefer  to  outline  the 
solar  system." 

"No,  no,  George ;  a  man  who  could  conquer  a  heart 
such  as  May's  must  be  a  little  out  of  the  common,  and 
be  able  to  depict  a  lover's  dream,"  affirmed  Mrs. 
O'Neil. 

"Very  well,  then,"  replied  Lankey,  in  mock  seri 
ousness.  He  looked  at  May,  who  sat  leisurely  picking 
at  the  fringe  of  the  table  cloth.  The  others  of  the 
company  stared  at  him,  longing  to  reach  his  conclu 
sion.  "Lovers'  love  is  strong  emotions  which  can  be 
stilled  only  by  the  gain  of  one's  desire.  It  is  as  varied 
as  the  seasons,  and  it  requires  a  sieve  to  sift  it  down 
to  the  real  qualities.  An  attack  of  heart  spasms  we 
have  all  doubtless  had  at  one  time  or  another,"  he 
ventured.  "The  quantity  and  quality  of  such  emo 
tional  affliction  can  be  measured  only  by  one's  own 
gauge.  The  earlier  attacks,  or  primary  state  of  love, 
are  more  or  less  of  a  hysteric  form,  which  grows  and 
diminishes  upon  its  own  impulses. 

181 


Cfje  Little  §>u£ferer0 


"Lovers'  love  differs  from  platonic  and  other  forms 
of  friendship  and  love  in  this,  that  it  is  grounded  in 
a  passionate  fondness  which  lies  in  sex  differences. 

"A  man's  love  for  a  woman  can  be  as  burning-  as  a 
woman's  love  for  a  man,  and  the  sting  can  have  the 
same  effect,  yet  the  quantity  and  quality  is  as  differ 
ent  as  sheep's  wool.  Man's  love  for  woman,  upon 
reaching  attainment,  simmers  down  to  a  strong  at 
tachment,  while  a  woman's  love  for  a  man  burns  on 
and  never  lacks  the  sentiment  which  it  first  bore. 
Common  sense  and  duties  should  be  unbreakable  bonds 
upon  both  sides." 

As  Lankey  finished,  they  all  merrily  clapped  their 
hands.  "I  must  write  that  down,  and  have  it  before 
me  as  a  recipe,"  said  Katie,  as  their  merriment  sub 
sided. 

"Ah,  nay,  as  a  recipe  it  is  invaluable,"  reminded 
Lankey,  looking  at  Katie.  "Lovers'  love  is  not  made 
to  order.  The  cavities  of  the  heart  cannot  be  filled  by 
a  hollow  hand,  and,  though,  as  I  said  before,  it  has  no 
direct  lines  to  be  gauged  by,  it  must  have  an  impulsive 
touch  to  flame  from,  and  upon  which  it  can  grow 
and  live  on  by  a  nourishing  care  and  feeling." 

"Then,  as  I  understand  you,  a  man's  love  is  not  as 
strong  and  durable  as  a  woman's?" 

"Woman  is  more  faithful,"  explained  Lankey. 
"While  both  are  linked  and  thrive  on  respect  and 
feeling,  a  man  can  love  and  divide  his  feeling,  but  a 
woman  can  love  only  the  one  she  feels  she  loves.  And, 
again,  a  woman's  love  can  turn  to  hatred.  The  one 
she  at  one  time  loved  and  pictured  in  her  heart,  she 
can  learn  to  despise  so  that  his  existence  is  a  pain  to 
her.  Let  me  note,  though,"  said  he,  "the  first  cause, 
the  bond,  must  have  been  broken  by  man,  by  the  one 
she  loved;  for  verily  man's  fidelity  and  a  cherished 

182 


C6e  Little 


tender  will  cement  a  woman's  love  so  that  it  can  with 
stand  all  batterings." 

During  this  last  speech  May  sat  somewhat  buried  in 
thought ;  she  reflected  upon  her  old  love  with  Dan  Con 
nors,  whom  she  now  both  feared  and  despised.  Lankey 
George  felt  much  relieved,  as  the  women  folks  again 
took  up  discussing  their  own.  For  a  while  they  dwelt 
upon  Katie,  who  was  preparing  her  trousseau;  she 
had  kept  company  but  a  short  while,  though  she  and 
her  policeman  loved  each  other  enough  to  hurry  along 
the  nuptials.  Her  betrothed  was  drawing  fourteen 
hundred  per  year,  and  had  a  promotion  in  view,  and 
thus  saw  easily  his  way  clear  of  maintaining  a  home. 
He  was  a  country  lad,  and  all  his  folks  lived  far  off 
in  a  Western  state.  Boarding  house  life  tired  him, 
and  he  had  planned  to  marry  at  an  early  date.  Of 
course,  Mother  Thornton  found  no  objection,  though 
she  always  held  the  opinion  that  a  longer  acquaintance 
would  strengthen  their  understanding  of  each  other. 

While  they  laid  plans  and  exchanged  views,  Harry 
began  lightly  to  complain:  "If  that  lad  of  mine  shall 
remain  a  long  while  in  the  Juvenile  System,  I  fear  my 
hopes  for  his  higher  schooling  are  gone.  Willie  was 
rather  inclined  to  study.  In  my  younger  days,  I  was 
eager  for  schooling,  and  I  have  often  wished  that  I 
had  reached  higher  in  all  branches.  I  had  planned  that 
none  of  mine  should  ever  lack  the  chances  to  learn 
all  that  could  be  stored  in  them,  but " 

"Don't  worry,  Harry,  though  he  should  be  detained 
in  the  Juvenile  System  to  twenty-one,  if  he  has  the 
grain  within  him,  with  a  little  encouragement,  he  can 
reach  up.  Gladstone  learned  languages  at  the  age  of 
eighty.  We  can  learn  at  any  age  if  we  plan  to  do  so. 
He  will,  of  course,  be  at  a  disadvantage  if  at  the  same 
time  he  has  to  take  to  physical  labor  for  self-mainte 
nance." 

183 


C6e  little  %>ufferer$ 


"Speaking  of  it,"  responded  Harry,  "a  professor  in 
one  of  our  universities  recently  expounded  that  learn 
ing  and  teaching  above  ordinary  algebra  and  letter- 
writing,  is  a  waste  of  brain  tissues  for  the  common 
man." 

"I  am  no  evangelist  on  higher  studies  excepting 
upon  its  right  lines,"  replied  Lankey,  "though  I  will 
say,  every  new  issue  opens  a  channel  of  thought,  every 
new  thought  is  a  grain  of  wisdom,  and  wisdom  is  the 
radiating  centre  of  creation,  and  of  the  force  of  the 
universe.  But,"  he  added,  "many  a  gifted  man  studies 
himself  into  jail,  or  at  least  earns  it  for  the  advantages 
he  took  of  his  learning.  And  again  many  a  man  with 
no  brains  to  learn,  ruins  his  natural  trend  by  a  useless 
waste.  But  all  should  learn  to  follow  and  make  the 
most  of  the  times." 

"The  professor  I  spoke  of  before  I  reckon  need 
have  no  fear  that  the  world  will  become  over-stocked 
with  learned  men.  The  average  boy  would  rather  play 
truant.  Though  I  think  as  you  that  all  should  learn 
up  to  certain  lines." 

"The  best  of  children  from  the  best  of  parents  will 
'play  hookey,'  if  they  are  not  guarded,"  here  remarked 
Lankey.  "Schooling  is  a  tiresome  routine  of  mature's 
requirements  for  these  little  immature  ones.  A  grown 
person  will  become  restless  and  tired  upon  long  and 
irksome  occupation,  particularly  where  study  is  re 
quired;  so  what  can  be  expected  from  youngsters  in 
their  earliest  time  of  sprouting  and  with  the  lightest 
of  minds?  It  is  natural  at  that  age,  that  the  neces 
sity  of  learning  and  the  higher  knowledge  shall  not 
have  reached  them.  Teaching  and  knowledge  are  too 
remote  for  the  little  ones  to  see  into.  While  it  is 
handicraft,  and  of  use  to  the  grown,  it  is  for  the  little 
folks  nothing  but  a  useless  drudgery,  or  rather  a  tor 
ture.  We  all  like  to  shirk  where  there  is  no  charm, 

184 


Cfie  JLfttle  Sufferers; 


what,  then,  may  be  expected  from  a  less  settled  mind  ?" 

"That's  so,"  agreed  Harry,  as  he  permitted  Lankey 
to  go  on. 

"While  truancy  can  lead  on  to  crime  for  the  simple 
reason  that  youngsters  will  run  about  without  super 
vision  in  their  hours  of  schooling,  it  is  functionally  no 
crime,  nor  does  it  imply  moral  inadequacies  nor  lack 
of  better  thoughts  within  their  little  minds.  Of  course, 
to  carry  on  an  intelligent  system  of  society,  schooling 
and  teaching  becomes  necessary.  While  most  children 
do  not  crave  for  it,  we  all,  nevertheless,  approve  of  it 
upon  our  maturity,  and  we  all  look  upon  it  as  an  ad 
vantage,  and  it  should  be  compulsory  upon  a  parent  to 
see  that  his  child  partakes  of  the  advantage." 

"Well,  I  understand  that  parents  are  now  and  then 
hauled  to  court  for  their  negligence  of  holding  their 
children  thereto." 

"True ;  but  it's  very  seldom,"  replied  Lankey.  "We 
never  heard  that  a  parent  received  a  sterner  rebuke 
from  a  judge  than  a  cast  of  pity  for  being  bothered 
with  such  bad  children,  or  maybe  a  word  of  warning. 
The  courts  customarily  arraign  the  children ;  such  tru 
ants  are,  to  some  extent,  scolded  and  warned  by  the 
judges,  but  upon  their  release  their  parents  will  fondly 
explain  that  their  boys  are  not  worse  than  others.  The 
effect  is  a  re-occurrence.  A  further  course  is  the  Juve 
nile  Institution,  where  the  associates  and  mingling 
with  others  as  bad  as  they  are,  with  the  effect  that  they 
receive  no  learning  at  all. 

"These  methods  of  hauling  the  little  ones  to  court 
for  their  shirking  of  school  duties  is  no  encouragement 
to  the  youths,  for  the  reason  I  stated  some  while 
ago :  it  invokes  a  hatred  against  the  school  authorities, 
for  such  little  ones  feel  they  are  to  attend  school  only 
to  please  their  teachers." 

185 


C&e  Little 


"While  we  dwell  upon  it,"  asked  Harry,  "do  you 
believe  in  corporal  punishment  administered  to  school 
children  ?" 

"Under  a  government  system  where  there  is  no 
touch  of  seriousness  applied  to  neglectful  parents,  I 
believe  in  some  method  of  punishing  the  little  ones. 
It  is  essential  that  a  child  must  obey  some  one  in  order 
to  continue  with  such  tiresome  routines  as  schooling. 
If  parents  are  permitted  to  disregard  their  duties,  the 
teacher  stands  piteously  helpless  if  he  cannot  impose 
the  duties  upon  the  children." 

"As  moulders  of  young  minds  and  builders  of  eth 
ics,"  resumed  Lankey,  after  a  short  pause,  "disciplin 
ary  training  schools  or  juvenile  institutions  are  with 
out  exception  failures.  The  environments  are  such 
that  these  detained  ones  cannot  grow  and  become 
morally  adequate.  As  vile  growth  and  ungardened 
plants,  these  are  heaped  into  unfertilized  soil.  It  is 
natural  that,  if  not  entirely  bad  when  committed,  they 
will  become  so  upon  mixing  and  blending  with  other 
ills.  Nay,  corral  from  a  hundred  to  a  thousand  raw 
youngsters  into  one  institution,  with  no  other  care  than 
cool,  unfeeling  attention  and  strict  coarse  rules.  What 
must  not  be  the  result?  Their  devilish  spirit  must 
grow  rampant  where  they,  in  their  frisky  nature,  see 
nothing  good  to  copy  from  and  nothing  worthy  to 
mould  from. 

"Our  disciplinary  and  juvenile  institutions  are  an 
elementary  course,  criminal  in  effect.  The  advanced 
class  or  higher  branch  is  at  the  Elmira  Reformatory, 
and  the  final  course  is  at  our  State's  prison,  Sing-Sing. 
Our  criminal  courts  can  verify  it  all  in  detail.  And, 
ah,  the  immoralities  practised  by  these  unfortunate 
youths  within  walls  of  institutions  are  so  shocking  and 
sad  that  it  puts  a  blot  upon  indecency.  The  parenthood 
is  the  primary  cause  of  these  evils.  Society  is  equally, 

186 


Cfje  JLittlc  Sufferers! 


a  cause  by  neglecting  to  effect  a  truer  condition,"  he 
ended. 

"Say,  Harry,"  now  interrupted  Mrs.  O'Neil,  "May 
and  I  have  planned  to  attend  church  next  Sunday  if  I 
improve  as  much  as  I  have  these  last  few  days.  I 
think  you  and  Lankey  ought  to  be  ashamed  of  your 
selves  that  you  never  go  there,"  she  mildly  reproached. 

Mrs.  Thornton  and  May  agreed  with  this  censure. 
Katie,  who  always  felt  in  humor  of  chiding,  attacked 
Lankey:  "You  can  bet  if  you  were  my  fellow,  you 
would  have  to  go." 

Harry  agreed  to  his  neglect  of  Sunday  duties,  where 
to  Lankey  but  dryly  answered :  "It  is  not  the  height  of 
the  church  spire  which  leads  nearest  heaven ;  the  floor 
strewn  with  sand  within  the  humblest  cottage  is  just 
as  near." 

"You  are  terrible,"  mildly  reproached  Katie.  May 
smiled,  but  said  nothing,  whereas  Mrs.  Thornton  re 
marked  sadly:  "Folks  nowadays  seem  to  drift  away 
from  church;  but,  indeed,  I  feel  it  a  blessing  to  go. 
Father  Rex,  of  our  Holy  Church,  is  a  good  and  saintly 
man,  his  sermons  give  me  great  comfort.  Truly  he 
inspires  the  feeling  that  he  can  save  me.  A  high 
priest  and  holy  as  he  is,  I  really  think  he  can." 

"No  man,  be  he  ever  so  good,  can  link  his  name  with 
heaven  and  assure  safe  passage  there,"  replied  Lankey. 
"I  have  faith  in  Father  Rex  as  being  a  good  moral 
man;  but  many  a  humble  forester,  whose  altar  and 
Christly  edifice  is  simply  nature's  green  woods,  adorned 
with  arching  blue  skies  above,  are  nearer  the  gateway 
of  heaven  than  he  in  his  robes  with  his  censer." 

"Oh,  George!"  protested  all  the  women  folks. 
"Father  Rex  is  at  the  head  of  the  Brotherhood  of 
Good  Angels,  and  he  does  much  work  in  relieving  the 
hungry  and  poor.  Those  woodsmen  are  but  half  Chris 
tian,"  added  Katie. 

187 


Little  ^ufferers? 


"A  half  moon  shines  on  full  faces,"  responded 
Lankey.  "Woodsmen  or  uncouth  men  of  hills  and 
forests  will  help  a  stranger,  console  the  sorrowed,  and 
feed  the  hungry  with  as  deep,  aye,  deeper,  spirit  and 
heart  than  will  our  full-crested  evangelists,  who  hover 
within  costly  buildings  walled  with  memorial  win 
dows." 

"Oh,  no,  Lankey,  we  cannot  agree  with  you  on  that," 
they  all  said,  shaking  their  heads.  "If  Father  Rex 
and  all  those  of  high  and  churchly  rank  were  not  more 
saintly  or  holy  than  we  others,  they  could  not  preach 
for  us  and  advise  us." 

"It  is  not  the  feathers  that  make  the  ostrich  big," 
retorted  Lankey.  "The  powerful  ecclesiastics  are  tow 
ering  high  above  us  common  mortals  and  strutting 
about  in  saintly  plumes.  Pluck  them,  and  you  will  find 
their  bodies  are  but  of  the  mortal  clay,  and  their  spir 
its  as  much  linked  to  the  worldly  as  those  of  beggars 
or  woodchoppers,  who  toil  for  a  living." 

"You  don't  believe  in  rites  and  religious  ceremony  of 
any  kind?  Indeed,  I'm  sorry  for  you,"  lightly  re 
proached  Katie. 

"Warmth  of  devotion  to  each  other  is  the  only  unc 
tion  of  man.  Phlegmatic  priestly  prepared  is  no  show 
of  Christianity;  it  will  not  shove  us  farther  into 
heaven,"  replied  George. 

All  looked  disgustedly  at  Lankey  George,  as  he 
ended.  None  cared  further  to  attempt  changing  his 
way  of  looking  at  things.  His  little  May,  as  he  loved 
to  term  her,  appeared  momentarily  downcast  and  sad. 
For  the  first  time  she  now  showed  some  little  disap 
pointment.  George,  in  her  eyes,  had  always  been  so 
grand  and  good  that  she  never  looked  particularly  into 
his  religion,  nor  had  he  into  hers.  She  felt  that  their 
religions  were  alike.  However,  she  soon  overcame  her 
momentary  disappointment  as  she  looked  into  his  hon- 

188 


C&e  Little  %>tifferer$ 


est  eyes  and  reflected  upon  his  conduct.  "A  man  like 
him  cannot  be  real  bad,  anyhow,"  she  assured  herself. 
Lankey  noticed  it,  and  said :  "Don't  worry,  dear  May, 
I  will  live  under  the  order  of  any  edict  that  can  as 
sume  a  serious  aspect  of  true  Christianity  and  deliver 
the  goods  in  actions." 

"Well,  I  wish  to  know  what  your  belief  is,  any 
how,"  finally  asked  Mrs.  Thornton,  somewhat  seri 
ously.  She  liked  and  respected  Lankey,  but  as  a  man 
hoping  to  become  her  son-in-law,  she  thought  she  had 
a  right  to  ascertain  his  status  of  belief. 

"My  father  was  a  Protestant  and  my  mother  a  Cath 
olic;  between  their  dickering  on  what  to  believe  and 
look  up  to,  I  learned  what  to  think  and  look  into.  Per 
haps  I  stand  as  ignorant  as  they  stood,  but  I  gath 
ered  that  both  of  their  religions  were  symbols  of  faith, 
fortified  in  the  biddings  and  mandates  of  man  of 
common  clay,  but  garbed  in  priestly  and  clerical  at 
tire." 

"Must  I  understand  it  that  you  don't  believe  in  any 
system  of  religion  at  all?"  said  Mrs.  Thornton,  hor 
ribly  disappointed. 

"We  all  have  a  religion  within  ourselves,"  replied  he. 
"It  is  ground  in  a  mutual  acquired  and  required.  By 
performing  a  thorough  social  duty,  we  are  living  near 
est  the  standard  of  a  true  religion,  and  upon  it  we  can 
build  a  heaven." 

Harry  O'Neil  felt  it  was  a  better  plan  to  preserve 
their  religious  differences  and  to  change  their  subject, 
though  he  privately  agreed  with  his  friend  on  this 
matter.  Lankey  was  a  splendid  conversationalist,  and 
could  speak  on  all  matters,  and  his  talk  would  take  a 
humorous  turn  to  suit  occasion,  so  it  required  but  a 
short  time  for  him  to  regain  the  full  confidence  of  the 
good  women. 

For  the  next  few  minutes  he  devoted  himself  to 


Ci)e  JLittle  Sufferer? 


joking  Katie  about  her  lover.  After  which  the  even 
ing  was  finished  with  listening  to  George  tell  some 
amusing  tales  and  incidents  concerning  his  younger 
days. 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

THE  DEFEAT  OF  JACK  STEVENSON. 

At  last  Tuesday  morning  came  around ;  it  gave  birth 
to  another  day  which  went  down  in  the  history  of 
Greater  New  York  as  infamy  in  politics.  Voters  were 
bought  and  sold  by  political  machines,  repeaters  were 
shifted  about  in  droves  to  vote  in  any  of  its  weak  dis 
tricts.  More  money  changed  hands  over  the  bar  of 
gin-mills  and  cheap  beer  dives  on  this  day  in  one  bor 
ough,  than  would  feed  the  homeless  and  destitute  for 
a  whole  year  in  all  New  York.  All  was  done  for  the 
sake  of  good  government. 

The  saloons  opened  ready  for  business  at  5  A.  M., 
and  so  did  the  polls ;  as  the  worthy  voters  crowded  in 
and  out  of  the  saloons,  they  would  visit  the  polling 
places  and  cash-in  their  votes,  leave,  and  again  return, 
and,  under  the  protection  of  our  metropolitan  police 
and  machine  election  inspectors,  they  would  vote  and 
stuff  the  ballot  boxes  as  fast  as  polling  clerks  could 
scribble  down  names.  Dead,  living,  and  unborn  names 
were  voted.  To  the  skilled  politicians  it  was  a  calm 
vision  of  victory;  the  less  skilled  were  hopeful,  and 
the  voters  did  not  care.  All  the  districts  of  Greater 
New  York  shared  this  infamy  in  proportion  to  its  gross 
population.  Among  the  poor  and  most  populated, 
whom  a  bad  government  system  effects  the  strongest, 
there  was  the  most  corruption  and  ballot-stuffing. 

The  importance  of  victory  in  this  election  was  as 
weighty  to  machine  politicians  as  ever,  but  an  insured 

190 


C6e  Little 


gain  with  a  new  competing  party  in  the  field  required 
an  increase  in  fraud,  which,  however,  was  easily  ac 
complished.  The  People's  Independent  Party  was  new 
and  strong,  and  it  did  not  have  the  backing  of  the 
illicit  voting  element  nor  the  constituting  votes  from 
any  of  the  many  government  employees  and  job-hold 
ers;  it  was  natural  the  decent  public  would  fall  in 
great  minority. 

Harry  O'Neil's  firm  was  busy,  and  had  decided  to 
run  on  till  noon,  but  Harry,  in  order  not  to  lose  his 
vote,  at  an  early  hour  joined  the  rear  end  of  a  first 
shift  of  bar-room  voters.  Harry  O'Neil,  as  any  de 
cent  voter  who  must  hurry  to  work,  was  measured  up 
by  the  smart  clans  of  politicians  who  have  their  crew 
of  inspectors  to  detain  and  retard.  This  is  a  practice 
which  very  often  forces  a  respectable  man  to  go  home 
without  casting  his  vote.  However,  Harry  had  deter 
mined  to  cast  his  ballot,  though  he  lost  his  job  in  the 
effort.  Thus,  after  many  difficulties,  being  pushed  back 
and  taking  turn  after  every  newcomer,  being  chal 
lenged  and  otherwise  annoyed,  finally,  after  an  hour 
and  a  half,  he  was  permitted  to  vote,  and  he  reached 
his  work  ten  minutes  late. 

Lankey  George  had  no  work  on  that  day,  though  he 
went  to  the  polling  place  early.  He  had  not  moved 
from  his  old  district,  but  the  same  difficulty  was  there 
encountered.  Lankey  had  long  ago  given  up  the  idea 
of  voting,  and,  had  it  not  been  for  the  sake  of  helping 
Jack  Stevenson  and  his  party,  he  would  not  have  voted 
at  all.  Politics  and  voting  system  looked  to  him  as 
farces.  "Why  not  leave  one  or  two  of  the  bosses  meet 
and  decide  the  matters  as  they  do  anyhow,  and  distrib 
ute  the  tremendous  cost  of  an  election  to  aid  the  mis 
erable,  half-nourished  mothers,  who  take  to  drink  to 
deaden  their  torture?"  was  his  logic  on  our  existing 
election  conditions.  Where  the  only  advantage  of  be- 

191 


Little  §>ufferer0 


ing  a  citizen  and  a  voter  lies  only  in  to  be  handed  an 
extra  dollar  and  some  free  drinks  for  this  one  day  in 
the  year,  George  thought  it  was  good  economy  to  stay 
at  home.  "This  campaign  money  and  political  outlay 
for  display  with  sundries  of  free  drinks  and  shoes  for 
bums  is  but  nominally  a  loan.  The  politicians  sweat 
and  graft  the  community  with  a  usury  rate  so  that 
the  very  debauching  voter  who  accepts  these  insults  is 
groaning  under  the  load." 

Upon  casting  his  vote,  Lankey  hurried  to  Van  Brunt 
Street,  where  he  joined  May  and  Mrs.  O'Neil  for  the 
day.  Both  were  holding  small  American  flags,  which 
were  pinned  on  thin  rods,  as  George  opened  the  door 
and  entered,  they  simultaneously  waved  their  emblem. 
May,  who  had  a  sweet  voice,  struck  up  a  national 
hymn  to  which  Mrs.  O'Neil,  who  began  to  show  signs 
of  health,  joined. 

"Oh,  everybody  says  Jack  Stevenson  will  win,"  said 
May,  as  she  ended  the  last  strain  of  the  chorus.  "God 
would  not  disappoint  me ;  I  have  prayed  so  much,  and  I 
feel  in  my  heart  that  my  plea  has  been  heard,"  said 
Mrs.  O'Neil. 

Lankey  George,  who  was  a  man  who  believed  in 
facing  conditions,  could  not  here  withhold  a  sigh.  May 
noticed  it;  but,  without  suspecting  its  cause,  she  in 
quired  :  "You  don't  feel  so  very  well  to-day  ?  I  think 
you  work  too  hard.  I'll  have  a  cup  of  good  strong  tea 
and  a  bit  of  buttered  toast  for  you  in  a  moment."  Mrs. 
O'Neil  encouraged  her  to  do  so,  and  May  prepared  to 
leave  for  the  kitchen. 

Lankey  George  could,  perhaps,  have  drunk  a  cup 
of  tea  to  deceive  them  and  hide  his  feeling,  but  he 
feared  to  lead  them  on  to  be  too  sanguine  of  success ; 
he  was  afraid  of  the  blow  which  would  come  to  them, 
should  they  suffer  disappointment,  and  he  had  not  the 
heart  to  pierce  their  happy  spirits  and  hopes  without 

192 


C6e  Little 


real  foundation.  While  he  questioned  himself  if  he 
did  not  look  rather  dark  upon  the  situation,  he  called 
May  back.  "I  wish  for  all  the  world  I  could  go  a  cup 
of  tea,  but  truly  I  don't  feel  like  having  anything  just 
yet." 

May  seated  herself  again,  and  dismissed  from  her 
mind  her  suspicion  of  Lankey's  illness.  She  explained 
to  him  in  detail  all  that  she  had  heard  in  the  stores  and 
upon  the  street.  "Good  mothers  are  crying  with  joy, 
and  bad  boys  are  getting  scarce,  and  the  police  are 
getting  civil.  It's  only  the  bad  parents  whom  the 
courts  are  going  to  deal  with,  and  all  of  the  officers  of 
the  Juvenile  System  are  going  to  jail,  and  the  children 
will  be  released."  Such  a  wild  conglomeration  of  en 
couraging  remarks  had  little  May  heard  that  she  could 
but  believe  it  to  be  so,  and  Mrs.  O'Neil  was  fully  as 
credulous. 

Lankey  listened  attentively  to  it  all,  and  assumed  as 
much  cheerfulness  as  his  conscience  would  permit. 
While  he  loved  to  be  in  their  company,  he  felt  relieved 
as  they  went  into  the  kitchen  to  prepare  dinner.  Tak 
ing  up  a  paper,  he  read  a  few  columns ;  but  then  threw 
it  back  in  disgust.  The  paper  spoke  of  nothing  but 
success  and  success  and  encouragement  for  the  Peo 
ple's  Party,  and  held  out  brilliant  hopes  and  ideas  which 
the  editor  should  know  by  practical  reason  to  be  un 
founded,  for  success  cannot  be  had  where  the  voting 
element  is  of  the  political  office  or  job-holding  rank 
with  distillery-bought  repeaters  to  fill  up  to  a  majority 
count.  "It  is  good  enough  to  show  the  best  spirit  in 
such  matters,  but  it  is  wrong  to  make  hearts  and  then 
break  them,"  he  murmured,  thinking  of  Mrs.  O'Neil 
and  May,  who  were  so  certain  of  success  for  Jack 
Stevenson  and  his  party  that  a  contrary  view  would 
awaken  suspicion  of  a  feeling  of  opposing  their  in 
terest, 

J93 


JUttle 


The  dinner  was  soon  ready.  Harry  O'Neil  had 
ended  his  half  day's  toil,  and  all  sat  together,  enjoying 
their  meal.  Harry  did  not  feel  so  cheerful  as  in  the 
morning  when  he  left.  His  experience  at  the  polls  at 
the  early  hour  convinced  him  that  political  machines 
squandered  no  time.  He  saw  corner  loafers,  who,  on 
any  other  day,  never  arose  until  past  noon  hours, 
standing  in  line  to  keep  a  decent  voter  waiting.  What 
would  the  condition  not  be  later  on  in  the  day,  when 
the  gangs  and  the  disorderly  element,  full  of  rum,  took 
charge  of  the  polls  to  cast  the  deciding  ballot?  Be 
sides  the  general  interest  upon  any  change  of  adminis 
tration  among  his  fellow  workers,  was  a  shrug  of  the 
shoulders  and  the  remark  that  things  were  bad  enough 
as  they  were,  and  any  change  might  make  it  worse. 
While  they  all  held  with  the  idea  and  principle  of  the 
People's  Party,  they  felt  it  could  be  worse,  and  did  not 
care  to  take  chances ;  it  would  be  losing  their  vote  to 
vote  with  a  weaker  party,  no  matter  how  good  princi 
ples  it  stood  for.  For  these  and  varied  reasons,  and 
upon  similar  grounds,  the  haters  of  the  machines 
joined  its  ranks ;  it  drew  them  one  cog  nearer  destruc 
tion. 

Harry  had  picked  up  a  great  deal  of  his  friend 
Lankey's  philosophy ;  he  hoped  for  the  best,  and  pre 
pared  for  the  worse.  Borrow  trouble  he  would  not, 
and,  as  his  wife  would  coax  him  as  to  give  his  real 
opinion,  he  would  only  say:  "The  world  goes  round, 
and  we  must  go  with  it,  dear  Nelly.  Nothing  is  so 
sad  but  that  we  receive  some  compensation." 

His  wife,  while  she  perhaps  could  not  bear  to  admit 
it,  felt  the  truthfulness  of  this  assertion.  She  reached 
her  hand  to  May,  as  she  said :  "Yes,  I  have  been  com 
pensated  by  you,  my  faithful  friend." 

Their  noon  meal  completed,  Mrs.  O'Neil  and  May 
194 


Little  %uffereri9! 


left  for  the  kitchen.  Harry  and  Lankey  remained 
seated,  lit  their  pipes,  and  drifted  lightly  in  upon  the 
day's  proceedings.  Their  attention  was  suddenly  drawn 
by  a  loud  shouting,  which  sounded  on  the  street:  "It 
is  estimated  from  the  various  polls  that  the  People's 
Party  will  carry  Greater  New  York  by  one  hundred 
thousand  majority !"  was  heard. 

"Did  you  hear  that,  Harry?"  joyfully  cried  Mrs. 
O'Neil,  from  the  kitchen.  Her  husband  answered; 
whereupon  he  and  George  again  began :  "I  don't  like 
to  dismount  until  the  horse  has  run  his  stretch.  I 
fear  the  good  women  are  discounting  the  victory ;  but 
you  are  a  man,  Harry,  and  when  I  speak  to  you  I  like 
to  be  honest,"  said  Lankey.  "A  ray  of  sun  does  not 
make  a  summer,  any  more  than  a  flicker  of  snow  cre 
ates  a  winter.  Whichever  party  carries  the  election, 
conditions  will  not  be  considerably  the  better. 
While  the  People's  Party  have  not  had  a  chance  to 
disprove  themselves,  it  is  evident  that  we  can  never 
reach  a  high  standard  in  politics  where  that  party, 
like  various  others,  is  hiring  halls  and  turning  them 
into  moving-picture  shows.  Why,  Manhattan  is  full 
of  show-lofts,  where  is  put  on  exhibition  live  ele 
phants,  tigers,  and  other  crude  herds  to  discredit  the 
one  or  the  other  of  the  competing  parties,  and  all  sorts 
of  live  dummies  and  mean  caricatures  are  put  on  ex 
hibition  to  ridicule  the  one  or  the  other  of  the  oppos- 
ers.  It  is  distinguishably  cheap  politics.  Political 
parties  who  will  resort  to  such  schemes  to  catch  a 
public  cannot  be  filled  with  much  honor,  nor  much 
relied  upon  to  serve  for  the  good  of  others.  Neither 
can  a  variety  of  citizens,  who  approve  of  it  and  take 
in  such  a  debauching  grade  of  political  show,  be 
looked  upon  as  an  encouraging  lot  of  voters.  Is  it 
not  amazing  that  such  penny  variety  arcades  should 

195 


€&e  Little  Sufferers 


amuse  grown  people,  dealing  upon  serious  social  ques 
tions,  upon  which  hangs  our  and  our  children's  wel 
fare?" 

"I  thoroughly  agree  with  you,  George;  filter  poli 
tics  down,  and  we'll  find  instead  of  being  organized 
society,  it  is  organized  crookedness." 

"There  you  spoke  as  a  judge,"  complimented  Lan- 
key.  "The  world  is  as  a  sown  field  of  weeds 
with  a  few  good  grains  here  and  there;  but  these  are 
too  often  deprived  of  nourishment  from  the  rich  nat 
ural  soil  in  which  they  grow." 

"Your  view  of  it  is  that  the  general  people  is  de 
fective?"  asked  Harry. 

"The  general  people  is  defective,  but  nevertheless 
there  is  some  good  in  all  of  us,  which  could  grow  on, 
and  must  grow,  before  we  can  reach  higher  realms. 
We  have  all  reason  and  can  think  and  must  learn  to 
do  so.  The  churches  and  pulpits,  which  are  now  used 
in  a  false  spirit,  must  teach  and  influence  the  weaker 
minds.  We  are  all  Christians  and  religious-ridden, 
but  infidels  at  heart.  The  high  priests  and  cardinals, 
who  preach  on  God,  are  not  as  good  teachers  as  the 
salesman  who  sells  his  goods  for  what  they  are,  and 
extends  value  for  worth.  A  good  social  system  is  the 
only  true  religion,  or  rather,  it  is  the  flower  of  relig 
ion;  let  that  be  installed,  and  God  takes  care  of  us 
all." 

"Well,  going  back  to  politics,  don't  you  think  that 
Jack  Stevenson  is  real  honest,  and  if  elected  he  would 
deal  a  blow  to  the  Juvenile  System?" 

"Yes,  Harry,  I  think  Jack  is  thoroughly  sincere, 
and,  no  doubt,  we  have  candidates  among  both  of  the 
parties  who  can  be  trusted,"  replied  Lankey.  "But 
the  dagger  that  strikes  does  not  always  hit  the  ef 
fective  blow.  If  elected  he  will  hold  his  place  among 
the  minority;  he  will  stand  helpless  in  carrying  out 

196 


Little 


his  plan.  Though  to  be  candid  and  not  to  discourage 
you,  this  Juvenile  System  is  so  socially  and  politically 
connected  and  felt  that  there  will,  to  my  belief,  be 
concocted  some  plot  to  rob  him  of  his  victory,  if  any 
such  should  materialize  it  is  not  that  the  System 
would  fear  a  change  in  its  position;  it  is  quite  safe 
among  our  present  political  vermin,  but  a  man  of 
Jack  Stevenson's  seriousness  and  ability  in  the  Assem 
bly  might  agitate  the  question  so  that,  however  little 
the  public  opinion  figures,  politicians  of  all  grades 
would  be  forced  to  follow  it  up.  It  would  then,  nat 
urally,  mean  a  thorough  revision  of  our  Children's 
Court,  and  also  the  Juvenile  System's  methods." 

Here  Mrs.  O'Neil  and  May  re-entered  and  took 
seats.  George  and  Harry  ended  their  discourse  on 
politics,  and  for  some  little  while  sat  talking  lightly 
upon  other  matters.  Mrs.  O'Neil  discussed  with  May 
and  Lankey  their  coming  marriage,  and  planned  the 
reception  she  was  going  to  give  them.  Harry  joined  in 
and  stated  that  his  friend  was  looking  younger  every 
day,  and  was  evidently  trying  to  reach  down  to  the  age 
of  sweet  little  May.  Lankey  was  well  able  to  face  the 
good-natured  ordeal.  May  did  not  say  much,  but  ap 
peared  satisfied,  and  they  often  exchanged  looks 
which  spoke  volumes. 

The  little  party  was  interrupted  in  their  fun  by  the 
entrance  of  Katie  Thornton.  She  carried  a  telegram 
in  her  hand,  and  looked  very  happy.  "My  fellow  is 
not  too  much  taken  up  in  politics  to  think  of  me.  He 
says :  'Things  look  prosperous  up  this  way,  and  at 
the  end  of  the  day  there  will  be  added  to  the  list  one 
man  you  will  be  proud  of.' " 

Did  he  mean  Jack  Stevenson  or  himself,  or  who 
did  he  mean?  This  momentarily  perplexed  them; 
Katie  had  not  given  it  great  consideration,  she  sim 
ply  felt  elated  that  he  had  been  so  thoughtful  as  to 


JLittle  Sufferers; 


send  her  some  kind  of  word.  Of  course  her  sister 
May  and  Mrs.  O'Neil  saw  nothing  in  it  but  good 
cheer  to  them.  While  the  police  were  not  friendly 
to  Jack,  nor  toward  the  People's  Party,  there  could 
in  this  instance  be  no  thought  that  Katie's  intended 
would  take  sides  against  Jack,  whose  name  was  con 
stantly  upon  the  tongues  of  the  family. 

Harry  O'Neil  looked  to  his  friend  for  his  opinion, 
and  Lankey  noticed  it.  Drawing  back  to  his  cus 
tomary  voice,  without  defining  the  contents  of  the 
message,  he  remarked,  "The  most  beautiful  tree  will 
cast  its  shadow ;  let  us  hope  the  branches  and  leaflets 
are  not  so  thick  that  it  obscures  the  rays  of  light." 

Katie  observed  the  doubtful  in  Lankey's  look  and 
expression,  and  said:  "You  don't  think  for  a  moment 
that  my  intended  would  hope  to  gain  upon  Jack  Ste 
venson's  downfall?  While  I  did  not  give  it  a  serious 
thought,  I  am  sure  that  he  means  good  news  to  us  all. 
No  man  who  shows  traitor  to  another  will  ever  marry 
me." 

"Every  bugle  call  has  its  sounds,  though  it  be  far 
from  me  to  judge  him  or  its  ill,  my  child,"  he  re 
sponded.  "But  every  gain  means  defeat.  The  God 
dess  glories  at  the  downfall  of  the  wicked.  The  ser 
pent  squirms  with  joy  as  it  crushes  its  prey,  though, 
let  us  hope,  the  victory  will  impel  no  sad  burden." 

The  women  folks  for  a  while  took  up  their  seats 
in  the  front  room.  Whereupon  Harry  and  Lankey 
again  began  to  discuss  political  machines.  In  this  dis 
course  O'Neil  grew  extremely  dark  and  bitter,  and 
flayed  the  political  leaders  for  their  greediness  and  the 
misery  they  entailed.  He  branded  the  world  as  a 
miscarriage;  a  grudge  of  Heaven.  His  friend  inter 
posed,  saying  in  a  seriousness,  "We  cannot  censure 
the  world  for  the  doings  of  one.  While  the  load  of 
the  world  is  heavy  it  also  carries  with  it  what  is  beau- 

198 


Cfje  Little  Sufferers 


tiful.  The  world  is  strewn  by  shame,  and  is  streaked 
with  human  blood  by  the  cruel  courses  of  vampired 
leaders,  but  the  sandals  of  Heaven,  nevertheless,  leave 
their  imprint  upon  the  earth,  and  this  should  not  fail 
to  encourage.  Perfect  harmony  and  pure  politics, 
however,  we  shall  not  have  until  the  body  of  people 
arise  as  one  and  single  out  their  leaders ;  root  them 
out  as  with  brimstone  and  fire,  bury  them  away  within 
the  solitary  walls  of  prisons,  which  now,  through  their 
acts,  are  raised  and  filled." 

"Well  do  you  think  that  the  people  can  ever  so  join 
together  and  lift  the  yoke,  wipe  off  the  earth  the  lead 
ers  who  now  drag  them  into  the  mire  ?" 

"The  keel  that  scrapes  the  bottom  never  reaches 
harbor,"  responded  Lankey.  "The  people  must  lift 
themselves  and  seek  a  clear  channel.  These  social 
leaders  who  now  pilot  us  all  upon  the  rocks  to 
founder,  we  must  discard  and  we  must  elect  sounder 
and  purer  gauges  to  steer  us  thither.  Not  until  we 
have  reached  thus  far  in  our  learning  and  more  closely 
follow  the  one  trend  of  carrying  ourselves,  will  we 
revive  from  these  conditions." 

Here  they  were  interrupted  by  loud  shouting  of 
"Extra !  Extra !  Assemblyman  candidate  Jack  Ste 
venson  thrown  into  Jail." 

Harry,  closely  followed  by  Lankey,  rushed  to  the 
front  room.  They  all  directed  themselves  to  the  win 
dow,  where  they  saw  a  crowd  surrounding  a  couple  of 
newsboys  who  were  loaded  with  extras,  and  handed 
them  out  as  fast  as  they  could  give  change.  Katie 
Thornton  quickly  ran  down  to  where  the  paper  ven 
dors  stood,  secured  a  copy  and  returned. 

Mrs.  O'Neil  and  May  exhibited  a  distress  which 
showed  nearly  a  terror.  "Oh,  tell  me  what  it  is !"  both 
begged  before  Katie  had  a  chance  to  open  the  paper. 
"I  hope,  I  hope,"  said  Mrs.  O'Neil  faltering  as  Katie 

199 


Little 


began  to  read  the  article  which  ran  very  strong  and 
showed  unfriendliness  to  Stevenson. 

"Jack  Stevenson,  the  veteran  police  officer,  plying 
to  reach  higher  honors,"  it  read,  "sits  in  the  same  jail 
into  which  he,  while  patrolman,  cast  others.  It  was 
established  early  this  noon  that  twelve  years  ago,  with 
two  other  convicts,  he  had  escaped  after  serving  two 
years  of  a  five  years'  sentence  in  the  San  Quentin 
Prison  in  California.  Pictures  from  the  Rogues'  Gal 
lery  and  other  various  details  bear  out  the  story  that 
this  Jack  Stevenson,  who  then  lived  under  the  name 
of  John  Rooney,  and  had  so  cleverly  worked  himself 
in  as  an  officer  on  the  Metropolitan  police  force,  was  a 
felon  and  a  pickpocket.  The  credit  of  the  discovery 
and  arrest  is  entirely  due  to  Officer  James  Clarmont, 
who " 

"James  Clarmont !  Oh !"  Katie  stopped  with  a  sud 
den  cry,  dropping  the  paper  upon  her  lap.  "Can  it 
be  true?  Can  it  be  him?" 

Poor  Mrs.  O'Neil  was  so  overcome  that  she  had  to 
support  herself  against  the  table,  and  May  sat  numb 
and  neither  spoke  nor  moved.  "Can  it  be  Clarmont? 
Is  it  a  trick  ?  Why  would  he  do  it  ?  Oh,  I  shall  never 
marry  him  if  it's  so !"  cried  Katie. 

Mrs.  O'Neil  gathered  herself  together  in  order  to 
console  Katie,  suggesting  that  perhaps  her  lover  did 
only  his  duty.  With  her  own  losing  heart  she  begged 
her  not  to  lose  hers.  Harry  and  Lankey  looked  dis 
turbed  through  it  all.  The  little  company  a  few  min 
utes  ago  had  been  at  peace  and  the  women  folks  glow 
ing  with  happiness,  but  now  suddenly  a  storm  had 
broke  upon  their  centre  and  darkened  them  all. 

It  had  now  terminated  as  Lankey  had  expected. 
Some  political  plot  was  in  back  of  it.  Jack  Stevenson, 
it  became  known,  was  felt  and  feared  more  than  a 
dozen  ordinary  candidates.  The  cause  of  the  mothers 

200 


C6e  Little  Sufferers 


and  parents  which  he  so  admirably  fought  for,  had 
stirred  a  stronger  public  interest  in  Greater  New 
York  than  ever  had  been  known  before.  The  Juvenile 
System,  like  the  machine  parties,  had  realized  its  im 
pending  fate  upon  Jack  Stevenson's  election  and  the 
success  of  his  party.  Therefore,  they  had  joined 
hands  to  destroy  him.  This  method  of  defaming  the 
parties'  leaders  was  calculated  to  destroy  his  chance 
for  election,  and  to  weaken  or  scatter  his  party. 

That  this  plot  had  been  carefully  prepared  is  evi 
dent,  for  upon  the  minute  of  Jack  Stevenson's  arrest 
all  the  boroughs  were  circulated  with  extras  with 
pages  in  detail  which  were  laid  out  to  both  discourage 
and  shame  any  one  showing  allegiance  to  Jack  and  his 
party.  The  machine  parties  has  resorted  to  this  in 
famy  as  a  last  means  upon  perceiving  the  People's 
Party's  progress  and  of  Jack  Stevenson's  assured  suc 
cess. 

It  was  also  learned  from  a  later  paper  that  in  other 
than  Jack  Stevenson's  district,  election  clerks  and  in 
spectors  had  permitted  a  wholesale  voting  and  ballot 
substitution.  Legitimate  voters'  names  were  voted  by 
this  routine  staff,  and  not  only  were  ballots  substi 
tuted,  but  batches  of  from  two  to  five  ballots  were 
stuffed  in  the  box  at  a  time.  Legalized  voters  who 
had  thus  been  cheated  were,  under  protest,  ejected. 
The  poll  clerk,  inspectors  and  the  police  representing 
the  machine  party  all  day  had  matters  entirely  their 
own  way.  But,  despite  all,  the  People's  Party  showed 
only  a  slight  minority. 

Another  account  read:  "Notwithstanding  a  whole 
sale  repeating  and  substituting  in  Jack  Stevenson's 
district,  he  showed  a  majority.  As  a  last  resort  to 
defeat  him  a  long-hatched  plot  was  carried  out.  This 
left  clerks  and  inspectors  entirely  free  to  make  ballots 
defective  at  the  time  of  the  counting  of  votes." 

201 


C|je  Little 


Of  course  Jack  Stevenson  did  not  stay  overnight  in 
jail.  He  had  many  ready  friends,  and  was  released 
upon  habeas  corpus,  though  the  obliging  mechanism 
of  justice  managed  to  hold  him  until  after  the  polls 
had  closed  and  his  own  district  had  been  blotted  of 
his  victory. 

This  defeat  of  Jack  Stevenson  was  a  sad  disap 
pointment  to  all  longing  fathers  and  mothers  whom 
the  Juvenile  System  had  bondaged.  It  was  most  of  all 
a  cruel  blow  to  the  little  serfs  who  are  stunting  their 
lives  by  premature  toil,  and  it  gave  a  new  lease  to 
our  Children's  Court  and  our  infamous  social  methods 
of  dealing  with  little  children.  Though  Jack  felt  it 
painfully,  he  took  defeat  coolly.  He  had  been  politi 
cally  connected  long  enough  to  expect  the  worst  upon 
any  matters  in  opposition  to  standard  political  parties, 
and  it  was  not  the  first  plot  contrived  against  him. 
Would  he  get  redress  where  there  was  no  real  zeal  or 
justice  to  appeal  to?  No,  but  he  knew  he  was  inno 
cent,  and  his  enemies  knew  it.  While  he  did  not  have 
their  love  he  held  their  respect,  and  his  friends  ad 
mired  him  and  urged  him  on. 

"My  downfall  will  perhaps  break  many  a  good 
mother's  heart,  but  I  have  shown  to  the  world  the  in 
famy  of  our  Child  System.  I  have  given  Society  a 
grain  to  work  from,"  was  Honorable  Jack  Stevenson's 
comment  upon  his  defeat. 

CHAPTER   XVII. 
MAY  THORNTON'S  APPEAL  TO  HER  OLD  LOVER. 

The  O'Neils*  remained  the  saddest  of  homes.  The 
unfortunate  woman  never  recovered  from  the  cruel 
blow  she  received  upon  election  day.  With  Jack 
Stevenson's  defeat  vanished  her  last  hope  for  regain- 

202 


ing  her  little  ones.  Convalescing,  as  she  was,  upon 
the  prospects  of  Jack's  success,  she  suffered  a  severe 
and  sudden  relapse.  Her  disappointments  had  aug 
mented  her  physical  and  mental  ills  so  that  she  had 
been  brought  to  a  state  where  recovery  was  no  longer 
looked  for. 

The  Thornton  family's  physician  had  called  regu 
larly  for  some  time,  but  had  abandoned  all  hopes  to 
effect  a  cure.  "She  may  survive  a  fortnight,  or  per 
haps  a  month,  but  she  cannot  last  long,  as  every  tissue 
in  her  body  is  wasting  away,"  he  declared.  "Her 
heart  is  broken  and  no  prescription,  no  medicine  will 
avail." 

May  Thornton  remained  faithfully  by  her  side 
throughout  it  all.  The  pretty  little  girl,  who  a  few 
months  ago  was  a  blooming  maiden,  the  picture  of 
girlhood  and  the  belle  of  Erie  Basin,  had  sunk  as 
though  with  age.  Gay  spirited  and  cheerful  as  she  al 
ways  had  been,  she  now  went  about  depressed  and 
with  a  heavy  heart.  Her  brief  chapter  of  life  appeared 
as  though  it  would  terminate  with  that  of  her  be 
reaved  friend. 

May  had  long  since  set  aside  her  girlish  companions 
to  slave  for  an  impending  fate.  Her  brothers  and  sis 
ters  would  scold  her,  but  she  would  make  no  reply 
except  to  sigh.  Mother  Thornton  felt  very  unhappy 
because  of  this,  and  however  much  she  loved  and 
wished  to  help  the  unfortunate  Mrs.  O'Neil,  she  could 
not  bear  to  sacrifice  her  daughter.  She  would  re 
proach  May  and  try  to  make  her  realize  that  she  must 
not  destroy  her  own  life  and  future  happiness  for  a 
cause  she  could  not  help. 

The  mother  begged  and  pleaded  that  she  would  re 
lieve  herself  in  mind  and  take  some  little  recreation, 
but  poor  May  would  weep  and  say:  "I  know,  mother, 
I  am  doing  an  injustice  to  you;  I  know  I  am  under- 

203 


Cfje  Little 


mining  my  own  health.  I  feel  I  cannot  help  the  poor 
woman,  but  still  I  cannot  do  otherwise,  and  I  would 
not,  if  I  could,  break  away  from  her.  I  have  learned 
to  love  her ;  she  clings  to  me  as  though  I  was  the  only 
friend  she  has  in  the  world.  I  fear  that  her  end  is  not 
far  off,  though  I  pray  and  long  that  she  will  live  on 
even  if  I  were  to  go  through  my  years  in  this  suffer- 
ing." 

Harry  O'Neil  bore  up  bravely.  He  had  the  broad- 
minded  and  cool  Lankey  to  bolster  him,  and  though 
he  did  not  falter  in  his  love  for  his  wife,  he  had 
learned  to  look  upon  present  circumstances  as  a  for 
tune  which  should  befall  him  and  her.  He  fully  did 
his  duties  and  eased  her  where  he  could.  He  also  no 
ticed  the  effect  which  the  worry  had  upon  May,  and 
felt  sad  that  he  could  not  prevail  upon  her  to  bear  it 
with  more  ease.  Lankey  George,  too,  felt  deeply  for 
his  sweetheart.  He  would  not  discourage  her  fidelity 
to  the  stricken  woman,  but  he  did  upbraid  her  for  go 
ing  beyond  her  right  in  wasting  her  life.  "You  are 
but  wasting  your  own  life,  without  saving  another's, 
my  child,"  he  would  say.  "We  must  live  for  others 
and  die  for  others,  but  not  lay  down  our  life  without 
good  cause  and  reward  to  be  derived  therefrom.  You 
must  not  sacrifice  yourself  to  the  waste  and  winds;  it 
leaves  but  a  blank  memory  to  yourself  and  others.  It 
should  be  a  joy  to  me  to  lay  down  my  life  to  save 
that  unfortunate  woman,  but  as  it  cannot  be  done,  it 
is  my  duty  to  save  myself." 

One  morning  a  little  after  eight,  May  was  in  the 
kitchen  clearing  the  table  and  putting  aside  the  dishes 
when  she  was  disturbed  by  her  friend's  cry:  "Oh, 
May,  come — hurry,  come  !" 

In  obedience  to  the  summons  May  rushed  into  her 
friend's  room.  "Oh,  May,"  again  said  her  friend, 
who  had  managed  to  raise  herself  to  a  sitting  posi- 

204 


C6e  Little 


tion,  "I  see  my  three  children.  I  kissed  them ;  I  em 
braced  them.  Oh,  the  baby  is  so  nice.  Louise,  Willie 

"  Here  she  halted  and  fell  back  upon  the  pillow. 

Her  face  wore  a  peculiar  smile  and  her  eyes  gave  a 
brilliant  flash.  She  closed  them  and  the  features  be 
came  deadly  pale. 

May  Thornton  had  never  known  fear,  and  she  was 
a  brave  nurse.  Her  friend  she  loved  and  clung  to  in 
life,  should  she  fear  her  dead?  She  stood  a  moment 
and  shuddered  for  she  was  alone.  Had  George, 
Harry,  or  some  one  else  been  there  this  moment,  she 
would  have  felt  greatly  relieved.  She  was  too  fright 
ened  to  become  hysterical.  Young  girl,  as  she  was, 
she  feared  to  stay  as  much  as  she  feared  to  leave. 
After  a  second's  delay  she  nerved  herself  and  tip 
toed  across  the  hall  to  a  neighbor's  apartment,  and 
without  knocking  on  the  door  entered.  Incoherently 
and  half  whispering  she  begged  her  neighbor  to  come 
with  her.  The  woman,  a  kind,  elderly  matron,  under 
stood  May,  and  quickly  accompanied  her  to  the 
O'Neils'  apartment. 

May  Thornton  quickly  rushed  to  her  mother's 
house,  explained  her  fears  and  had  her  little  sister  run 
for  the  doctor,  who  lived  but  a  couple  of  blocks  off. 
Mrs.  Thornton  threw  a  shawl  around  her  shoulders 
and  followed  May,  who  was  now  greatly  agitated,  back 
to  the  O'Neils'  house. 

As  they  were  about  to  enter  the  hall,  a  young  lad 
from  a  few  doors  below  accosted  May  and  handed 
her  a  sealed  note.  "Here,  Miss ;  Dan  Connors  told 
me  to  give  this  letter  to  you,  and  not  to  nobody  else." 

In  all  the  excitement  and  bewilderment  with  Dan 
Connors  fresh  brought  to  her  mind,  it  staggered  her 
and  she  grasped  her  mother's  arm  for  support.  Her 
mother  felt  her  daughter's  position  and  realized  her 
perplexity.  May  meanwhile  was  making  strong  ef- 

205 


C&e  JLittle  Sufferers; 


fort  to  withhold  tears.  "Don't  loose  your  nerve,  my 
little  child,"  the  mother  coaxed.  "God  is  good,  and 
will  help  us  all."  Upon  finishing  the  last  syllable  the 
doctor  hurriedly  entered  and  preceded  them  up  the 
flight  of  stairs. 

The  doctor  quickly  felt  the  sick  woman's  wrist. 
He  shook  his  head  and  whispered :  "Her  life  is  ebbing 
away,  but  slowly;  her  end  may  come  at  any  time,  and 
she  may  live  weeks.  Her  strong  physical  constitution 
and  former  good  preservation  of  herself  are  her  re 
sisting  elements.  But  all  the  medical  skill  in  the  coun 
try  will  not  save  her." 

Mrs.  O'Neil  here  opened  her  eyes.  In  appearance 
she  was  the  same  weak  woman  as  before.  She  sent 
a  loving  smile  to  her  friend  May,  who  blushed  and 
felt  greatly  ashamed  that  the  fear  and  fright  of  a  mo 
ment  ago,  should  have  overtaken  her.  Mrs.  O'Neil 
recognized  Mrs.  Thornton  and  smiled  as  she  reached 
for  her  hand. 

The  kind  neighbor  and  Mrs.  Thornton  remained 
seated  in  the  sick  chamber,  but  May  returned  to  the 
kitchen,  too  disturbed  to  resume  the  household  duties. 
"Silly  girl  as  I  am,"  she  scolded  herself  that  she  could 
be  so  lost  in  fear.  As  her  mind  began  to  clear  she 
reflected  upon  Dan  Connors'  letter,  which  she  had 
stuck  into  her  bosom.  Again  she  became  nervous. 
"Oh,  shall  it,  shall  it  be  my  fate  to  save  that  good 
woman  and  her  little  children  with  my  own  life.  I 
shall  do  it,"  she  murmured  as  she  hastily  tore  open 
the  envelope  and  read: 

"DEAR  MAY:  The  Juvenile  System  are  planning  to 
send  the  O'Neil  children  off  to  far  western  farms. 
You  know  what  that  means.  You  can  save  them. 

"DAN/' 

"P.  S. — You  can  see  me  any  time  at  Flanagan's." 
206 


Little  g>uffeter0 


May  crushed  the  letter  together  and  threw  it  into 
the  fire.  "Oh,  can  I  save  him?  Is  he  honest?  Is 
he  sincere?"  she  cried.  With  a  firmness  she  mur 
mured  :  ''Well,  I  will  see.  I  shall  soon  know.  Can  I 
save  them,  then  I  will;  but  shall  I  pay  him  the  price 
of  myself,  his  happiness  shall  be  paid  with  my  sorrow. 
Another  day  may  be  too  late.  These  children  may  then 
be  hid  away  in  the  western  wilderness  and  my  good 
friend  die  of  grief,"  thought  she,  and  she  decided  to 
wait  no  longer.  The  doctor  had  left  instructions  to 
remove  the  sick  woman  into  a  lighter  and  more  airy 
room.  Harry,  who  always  took  along  his  lunch,  was 
not  expected  back  till  six  o'clock,  so  May  had  her 
mother  and  the  neighbor  assist  her  in  setting  up  a  bed 
in  the  front  room  and  carrying  the  helpless  woman 
into  it.  Following  this,  May  prepared  to  leave  and 
begged  her  mother  to  remain  till  she  returned,  though 
she  did  not  divulge  her  errand. 

Boarding  a  Marcy  Avenue  car  she  reached  within 
a  block  of  Flanagan's  home.  The  short  distance  was 
to  her  a  long  mile.  Her  heart  thumped,  her  breath 
was  short  and  she  felt  sharp  pains  in  her  head.  Nerv 
ously  and  fearful  she  reached  Dan  Connors'  home  and 
dragged  herself  up  the  narrow,  dingy  stairs.  As  she 
reached  the  upper  hall  she  halted  and  reflected  upon 
her  last  visit  there,  which  was  at  the  Flanagans' 
"racket."  She  recalled  the  engagement  she  had  broken 
off  on  that  night  and  then  came  to  her  mind  the  event 
ful  escape  with  the  O'Neil  children.  She  sighed 
deeply.  All  seemed  sad  and  long  years  gone ;  yet  she 
did  not  regret  it.  She  had  nothing  to  repent.  She 
had  but  done  her  duty  in  helping  others  and  she  now 
stood  prepared  to  do  more,  the  cost  which  she  could 
not  foresee.  She  decided,  however,  to  be  brave,  and 
lightly  knocked  upon  the  door. 

"Walk  in,"  was  heard  in  response,  and  as  May 
207. 


C6e  Little  Sufferers; 


Thornton  opened  the  door  Mrs.  Flanagan  and  a  com 
rade,  who  sat  with  a  can  of  beer  before  them,  each 
with  a  glass  in  her  hand,  simultaneously  exclaimed : 
"Ah,  how  are  ye,  May  Thornton?  God  bless  ye," 
Mrs.  Flanagan  now  alone  spoke  up  as  she  bid  May 
to  a  seat.  "Ye  look  as  black  as  a  nunnery.  What 
hive  ye  bane  doin'  ter  yersel'  ?  Sure  ye  was  the  finest 
gal  in  all  Brooklyn  'fore  youse  broke  off  with  Dan. 
Dan  Connors  is  gettin'  ter  be  the  right  looks  ov  a 
man.  When  you  see  him  ye'll  love  all  over  'gain." 
Her  pal  at  every  syllable  nodded  her  head  as  if  to 
verify  these  assertions.  "Sure,  sure."  After  having 
taken  a  sip  of  beer  she  continued :  "Dan  is  gettin'  ter 
be  intelligent,  and  looks  like  a  jedge.  He  didn't  get 
no  perlice  job,  'cause  und  that  broken  shoulder." 

Here  she  halted  and  reflected  a  moment.  "Oh,  bad 
luck  ter  that  Lankey  George !"  She  shook  her  fist 
and  pointed  at  a  brand-new  holy  picture  hanging 
above  the  mantlepiece.  "Had  he  left  Dan  Connors 
clone  Dan  moight  ter-day  hive  bin  a  perlice  captain 
and  my  blessed  old  holy  picture  would  never  hive  been 
broke.  Sure  Dan  bought  me  this  new  one,  God  bless 
him,"  she  went  on,  "and  now  he  has  all  the  luck  in 
the  world.  He  is  a  trusted  agent  ov  the  Jivernile 
System " 

"Sure,  and  Dan  was  out  automerbalin'  with  the 
President  ov  the  System,  who  is  as  big  as  Governor, 
and  owns  the  foinest  house  o'er  in  New  Jersey,"  in 
jected  Mrs.  Mulligan. 

"Dan'll  some  day  be  Superintendent  ov  the  Sys 
tem,"  continued  Mrs.  Flanagan.  "He  spakes  morn 
and  night  ov  what  a  foine  home  he'd  make  for  you, 
May,  iv  ye  w'u'd  ferget  that  little  spat.  Dan  is  no 
more  a  bad  gang  leader.  He  kapes  up  with  perlititi- 
cians  and  other  dacen  company,  and  hive  got  the  pull 

208 


€&e  Little  %>ufferet$ 


ov  a  jedge,  and  makes  all  kinds  ov  money.  And  he's 
learnin'  ter  be  edj created,  too/'  she  nodded,  pointing 
at  a  dozen  books  which  were  strewn  upon  a  shelf  in 
the  corner  of  the  room. 

Mrs.  Flanagan  continued  tirelessly  her  loud  bab 
bling  in  praise  of  Dan  Connors,  and  would  now  and 
then  lightly  scorn  May  for  having  broken  off  the 
engagement  and  encourage  her  to  renew  it  at  first  op 
portunity.  "All  the  gals  in  town  are  stuck  on  him. 
To  be  sure,  he  could  fetch  home  a  load  ov  them  fer 
his  weddin',  but  the  poor  feller  hive  ye  in  mind,"  she 
ended  in  a  tone  implying  that  she  understood  and 
sympathized  with  Red  Hook  Dan  in  his  disappointed 
love. 

May  Thornton  did  not  feel  happy  to  hear  of  these 
strong  comments  upon  Dan's  infatuation.  She  now 
became  uneasy  and  restless,  though,  while  she  dreaded 
to  meet  Dan  she  much  longed  to  have  it  over.  Pain 
ful  as  it  was  she  said :  "I  must  see  Dan  Connors  on 
some  business  and  would  like  to  know  where  I  could 
find  him." 

Mrs.  Flanagan  turned  and  looked  at  the  dusty  par 
lor  clock.  "Dan  is  in  Court  on  duty  fer  the  Jivernile 
System,  but  he'll  lave  the  Jedge  waitin'  ter  see  you," 
she  answered.  "He  would,  that  'deed  he  would,"  con 
firmed  her  pal.  Here  Mrs.  Flanagan  arose  from  her 
rocker  and  stepping  towards  the  window  said,  "I'll 
hive  my  Jimmy,  who  is  playing  crap  with  the  lads 
down  the  street,  go  ter  the  Jivernile  Court  and  tell 
Dan  ye're  waitin'  for  'm." 

Mrs.  Flanagan's  oldest  boy  Jimmy,  who  was  part 
cause  in  the  O'Neil  tragedy,  upon  his  mother's  bid 
ding,  came  slowly  dragging  into  the  room,  smoking  a 
cigarette.  "Well,  wat's  you  want?"  he  growled  dis 
respectfully. 

209 


Cfje  Little  §>uffeter0 


"Well,  darlint,  I  want  yer  ter  go  to  the  Jivernile 
Court  and  tell  Dan  that  his  old  sweetheart  is  waitin' 
fer  him." 

"Ah,  I  ain't  got  no  time,"  remarked  the  lad  as  he 
ejected  a  secretion  of  saliva  upon  the  floor.  "Chase 
some  other  kid  up  there,"  he  recommended  as  he  re 
turned  to  the  street,  taking  up  his  game. 

"Sure  boys  nowadays,"  protested  Mrs.  Flanagan  in 
disgust  as  she  refilled  her  glass,  "aren't  like  boys  ov 
old  days.  But  sure  there  is  worse  boys  in  the  ward 
than  mine.  When  he  grows  up  he'll  hive  better  sense," 
ended  she  in  a  complacent  tone  as  she  drained  her 
glass. 

"Oh,  I'll  git  ginny  Joe,  back  in  the  alley,  ter  go. 
He'll  walk  his  pegs  off  fer  a  penny,"  said  Mrs.  Mulli 
gan,  as  she  arose  to  send  off  the  mesage. 

Though  but  an  interval  of  twenty  minutes  passed 
till  Dan  Connors  came,  it  appeared  hours  to  May. 
She  was  sick  from  the  odor  of  the  room,  and  dis 
gusted  to  listen  to  the  senseless  babble  of  Mrs.  Flana 
gan  and  her  pal.  How  could  she  ever  have  tolerated 
them  before?  She  worried  and  longed  to  return  to 
Mrs.  O'Neil,  and  she  feared  the  outcome  of  her  meet 
ing  with  Dan. 

Mr.  Flanagan  and  a  fellow  worker  had  entered,  but 
it  afforded  no  relief.  His  wife  began  to  cry  and  relate 
bad-luck  stories  and  explain  about  the  coal  strike  in 
all  the  yards  around  the  canal,  and  with  no  work,  and 
the  beer  raised  two  cents  a  pint.  Pointing  to  a  scar 
over  the  right  eye  of  her  husband,  she  continued : 
"God  hive  mercy  on  the  bad  people  in  the  world;  a 
scab  hit  me  poor  man  with  a  brick,  and  he  had  to 
wear  a  brace  'round  his  head.  Yes,  fer  six  weeks  at 
that.  And  poor  Officer  O'Sullivan,  the  foinest  cop 
what  ever  was  in  this  ward,  the  Lord  hive  mercy  on 

2IO 


Cfje  Little  Sufferer* 


his  poor  soul,"  she  enjoined  with  motion  of  her  head 
and  an  upward  cast  of  her  eyes  toward  the  Virgin's 
picture,  "got  such  a  beatin'  that  he  dies  on  'count  ov 
it  a  few  days  after.  Sure  'twas  a  loss  to  the  force, 
for  a  fine  man  he  was  indeed,"  she  ended,  wiping 
away  a  tear  with  a  corner  of  her  grease-stained 
apron. 

Here  Dan  Connors  entered.  The  color  of  his  face 
showed  that  he  had  hurried.  He  smiled  as  he  gave 
his  hand  to  May.  She  returned  his  greeting  with  a 
touch  of  sullenness  and  looked  at  him  distrustfully. 
He  somewhat  astonished  May  Thornton,  though  there 
was  no  mode  about  him  which  instilled  great  trust  nor 
invited  a  reawakening  of  her  feelings  of  love,  he  bore 
himself  appropriately  as  Mrs.  Flanagan  had  prepared 
her.  He  appeared  more  of  a  gentleman ;  he  was 
clean  shaven  and  wore  a  pearl  stud  in  his  tie.  A 
finger  upon  his  left  hand  bore  a  heavy  gold  initial 
ring.  Across  his  waistcoat  was  stretched  a  solid  gold 
chain;  his  dress  was  neat  and  tasteful.  His  external 
was  pleasing,  but  had  his  soul  and  heart  grown  to 
match?"  wondered  May,  half  shaking  with  a  palpi 
tating  heart. 

Not  a  flicker  of  love  could  awake  within  her.  Her 
sense  of  love  had  simmered  down  to  respect  and  duty. 
She  loved  Lankey,  as  he  possessed  both  of  these  good 
qualities.  These  good  traits  had  grown  in  him  so 
strongly  and  become  so  much  a  part  of  him  that  he 
could  not  conceal  nor  deceive  his  appearances.  How 
ever  Lankey  was  not  just  then  in  her  mind.  She  had 
now  other  thoughts  of  love  to  fill  her  heart. 

Dan  bade  May  to  follow  him  into  the  front  room, 
which  was  divided  off  from  the  kitchen  with  two  bed 
rooms.  Instructing  the  Flanagans  not  to  disturb  them, 
he  closed  the  two  doors  to  insure  their  privacy. 

211 


Little  Sufferers 


"You  look  so  awful  sad  May!  The  world  is  not 
suiting  you,"  began  her  former  lover  gently,  as  he 
bade  her  be  seated. 

May  bravely  said :  "No,  Dan,  it  is  not,  and  I  came 
upon  your  invitation  to  see  if  you  can  help  me." 

Dan  had  seated  himself  close  by  her.  "The  world 
is  not  suiting  me,  either,"  he  began,  "for  ever  since 
that  fatal  night  at  the  'racket'  I  have  not  been  real 
happy.  You  are  the  first  girl  I  ever  loved,  and  not 
until  you  broke  off  did  I  realize  what  real  love  was. 
I  did  not  appreciate  you  at  the  time,  but  I  assure  you 
that  I  have  suffered  much  and  longed  to  have  a 
chance  to  tell  you  so.  I  have  a  good  job  now,  with  a 
good  salary,  and  lots  of  extra  money,  and  though  I 
live  miserable  here  with  my  old  friends,  the  Flana 
gans,  I  could  well  afford  to  furnish  a  nice  home  for  a 
woman;  but  really  I  could  not  think  of  being  happy 
with  any  other  woman  but  you.  And  I  pray  you  to 
forgive  me  for  my  harshness  of  that  night.  I  speak 
the  truth  when  I  say  that  I  deeply  love  you,  and  al 
ways  long  for  you  and  try  to  improve  to  be  worthy 
of  you.  Say  you  will  be  mine  again,  and  I'll  be  the 
happiest  man  on  earth,"  he  ended,  reaching  for  her 
hand,  which  she  withheld. 

May  did  not  doubt  that  he  spoke  with  sincerity,  but 
though  she  felt  for  him,  she  could  not  aid  him.  "I 
am  too  sad  at  heart  to  talk  of  love,  Dan.  I  came  to 
ask  you  to  help  release  the  O'Neil  children  from  the 
Juvenile  System  which  you  wrote  you  could.  If  it  is 
in  your  power,  I  ask " 

May's  words  were  not  what  appeared  to  Dan  to  be  a 
rejection,  and  so  somewhat  encouraged  him.  Spir 
itedly  he  broke  in  by  saying,  "I  can  have  the  little 
ones  released.  I  was  the  principal  means  of  defeating 
Jack  Stevenson,  and  the  Juvenile  System  appreciates 
my  service  too  greatly  to  refuse  such  a  little  favor 

212 


Little  Sufferers: 


as  the  release  of  three  kids.  For,  at  any  time,  I  can 

get  others  to  fill  their "  Here  he  paused,  but 

quickly  changed  the  sentence.  "In  particular  where 
the  System  has  enough  of  these  little  ones.  Say,  dear 
May,  that  you  will  be  mine  and  I  shall  at  once  pro 
ceed  upon  their  release."  Here  again  he  reached  for 
her  hand,  which  she  again  withdrew  and  moved 
slightly  back.  This  ruffled  him  a  little,  and  he  changed 
his  tone:  "Your  eyes  tell  me  that  you  don't  love  me, 
but  you  must.  I  love  you  and  cannot  live  without 
you,  and  I  want  you  to  be  mine  always." 

Though  Dan  Connors  had  heard  that  Lankey 
George  had  become  a  strong  friend  of  the  O'Neils  and 
Thorntons  and  was  a  steady  visitor  in  their  homes,  he 
never  suspected  that  Lankey  had  taken  his  place  in 
May's  heart,  nor  did  she  care  to  betray  it,  for  fear 
that  it  would  enrage  and  embitter  him,  even  though 
he  was  both  in  manner  and  speech  a  different  per 
sonality  from  former  days.  If  he  held  any  real  good 
impulses  within  him  she  could  see,  however,  that  he 
had  no  other  purpose  in  view  than  to  gain  possession 
of  her.  "I  told  you,  Dan,"  answered  May,  "that  I 
had  something  else  at  heart  than  to  talk  love.  If  you 
love  me  as  you  say,  do  help  me  to  restore  the  little 
ones  to  their  mother,  who  is  lying  at  the  point  of 
death  from  a  broken  heart." 

"Say  you  will  be  mine  and  upon  our  wedding  day 
I'll  have  the  little  ones  handed  over  to  their  mother," 
asserted  Dan  in  a  mild,  persistent  tone. 

"Dan,  I  cannot  be  yours.     I " 

"Ah,  some  one  else  has  your  love?"  exclaimed  Dan, 
deeply  stirred. 

"Do  not  urge  such  a  request  of  marrying  and  love, 
Dan,  I  can  do  neither.  I  beg  you  as  a  friend,  I  plead 
for  their  bereaved  mother  and  longing  father,  and 
also  in  the  name  of  Justice  to  the  little  innocent  chil- 

213 


Clje  Little  Sufferers 


dren  who  are  bereft  their  natural  care,  who  want  their 
good  father's  advice  and  their  loving  mother's  bosom 
to  cling  to " 

"Ah!  I  see  Jack  Stevenson's  speech  at  Cooper 
Union  started  a  spark  in  your  heart,"  sneered  Dan, 
the  first  trace  of  his  old  self  showing.  "Why  are 
you  sissing  your  head  off  for  other  people's  children 
when  you  could  have  a  good  home  and  be  happy  at 
tending  your  own  affairs?  To  be  a  friend,"  he  now 
changed  his  tactics  a  little,  "is  all  very  nice,  but  I 
must  be  more  than  a  friend.  You  loved  me  before, 
and  you  can  learn  to  love  me  again.  Marry  me  and 
I'll  take  chances  of  regaining  your  love " 

"Oh,  Dan,  oh,  Dan !"  weepingly  broke  in  May.  "Do 
not  speak  so,  do  not  be  so  cruel.  While  you  disregard 
my  feelings  I  beg,  I  pray,  have  pity  for  me.  It  is  per 
haps  a  strange  will  of  God,  but  I  cannot  help  it,  I  have 
learned  to  feel  with  the  mother  as  though  they  were 
my  own  children ;  be  it  a  weakness,  I  cannot  help  it." 
In  a  still  more  appealing  tone  she  pleaded,  stretching 
her  clasped  hands  towards  him :  "Oh,  Dan,  I  implore 
you,  I  beg  you  upon  my  knees,  I  ask  you  for  the  love 
of  me  to  give  me  the  children." 

Dan  Connors  was  really  touched.  He  arose  and 
walked  nervously  up  and  down.  He  saw  that  the  love 
he  looked  for  was  lacking.  He  realized  that  he  could 
never  regain  her  affection.  It  cruelly  affected  him, 
and  he  wavered  in  his  feeling.  In  a  flash,  as  if  to 
punish  her,  he  turned  towards  her  and  said,  "No,  I 
will  not  help  you.  You  have,  regardless  of  my  feel 
ing,  stung  me,  and  I  shall  have  those  children  trans 
ported  to  the  worst  centres  of  the  country,  where  they 
will  grow  up  like  wild  animals  and  forget  their 
names."  He  noticed  that  his  cruel  blow  nearly  con 
vulsed  his  former  little  girl.  Bathed  in  tears,  stricken 
in  deeper  sincerity  than  he  had  ever  before  witnessed, 


little 


he  softened  to  a  milder  tone,  and  now  falteringly 
pleaded :  "Can't  you  love  me,  May?  Can't  you  say  yes 
to  my  pleadings?  You  are  breaking  my  heart.  Say 
you  will  marry  me,  and  your  plea  shall  be  granted," 
he  ended,  reaching  both  his  hands  toward  her. 

Kneeling  before  him,  taking  both  his  hands,  and 
looking  towards  him  she  tearfully  prayed:  "I  cannot 
love  you  as  a  wife  should,  I  cannot  marry  you ;  it 
would  break  my  heart  and  make  you  unhappy.  I  am 
suffering  now,  but  if  you  have  a  speck  of  pity  for 
me,  help  me.  Oh,  do,  Dan." 

Dan  Connors  withdrew  his  hands.  He  remained 
still  a  moment,  touched  but  undecided.  Then  disap 
pointed,  he  flamed  into  anger  and  cried:  "No,  you 
have  crushed  me  and  I  shall  crush  you  and  my  venge 
ance  shall  fall  upon  those  children  who  have  robbed 
me  of  my  love,"  he  ended,  turning  to  leave  the  apart 
ment. 

"Oh — Oh,  Dan !  I  will  marry  you,  but  give  me  the 
children,"  she  piteously  cried,  following  him.  "I  shall 
pay  for  their  release ;  my  heart's  blood  shall  be  your 
reward.  I  shall  marry  you  and  as  your  wretched  slave 
shall  dedicate  my  life  to  happiness  in  thought  that  I 
suffered  the  cruelty  and  injustice  of  the  man  who  pre 
tended  to  love  me.  Give  me  the  children  and  I  shall 
obey,"  she  ended  feebly  as  she  fell  fainting  at  his  feet. 

Motionless  she  remained  upon  the  floor.  Dan  Con 
nors  felt  a  pang  of  remorse.  It  had  touched  him  as 
he  never  had  been  touched  before.  The  little  speck  of 
kindness  within  him  had  been  kindled.  It  flamed  into 
a  blast.  With  tear-stained  eyes  he  stared  at  the  mo 
tionless  figure.  He  clasped  his  hands  as  he  exclaimed 
in  a  loud,  faltering  voice :  "Wretch  as  I  am,  how  could 
I  disturb  the  happiness  of  the  one  I  love?  Heaven 
have  mercy  on  me  that  I  foster  such  ill  nature.  Shall 
the  sins  of  Satan  lead  me  on  in  paths  of  blood?  No, 

215 


C&e  Little 


I  shall  not  poison  the  life  of  that  pretty,  good  girl, 
who  offers  her  future  to  save  others,  who  yields  the 
blossom  of  her  heart  to  right  wrongs  of  theirs."  He 
knelt  beside  the  prostrate  girl.  Bending  over  her  half- 
unconscious  form,  with  tears  trickling  down  his  hard 
ened  cheeks,  he  cried:  "Get  up,  May,  pray  get  up. 
Forgive  me  for  all  my  brutality.  You  have  bled  my 
heart  and  I  shall  be  your  slave  till  death  claims  me. 
The  children  shall  be  restored  to  you,  and  I  shall  for 
ever  bid  you  good-bye  and  bury  my  face  with  all  my 
shame  far  away,  where  it  never  shall  mar  your  happi 
ness.  Oh,  do  you  hear  me?  I  plead  for  forgiveness," 
he  ended  with  a  sob. 

"Oh,  Dan,  thank  you !  I  hear  you !  I  have  already 
forgiven  you,"  she  faintly  replied,  opening  her  eyes 
and  turning  her  head  towards  him.  "May  God  re 
ward  you,  too,"  she  added,  pressing  a  kiss  upon  his 
hand. 

Drawing  her  hand  toward  his  lip,  he  said :  "I  thank 
you,  dear  May;  you  have  at  this  moment  made  me 
more  happy  than  ever  has  been  my  share  in  life.  The 
faults  and  errors  of  my  life  have  now  first  begun  to 
dawn  upon  me.  I  grew  up  in  cruel  surroundings,  my 
teachings  have  been  raw  and  heartless.  The  only 
kindness  that  I  ever  felt  came  from  my  mother,  who 
died  when  I  was  a  child,  and  the  only  good  that  I 
ever  saw  came  from  you,  from  the  heart  of  the  one 
I  ever  loved.  While  I  feel  a  sting  and  suffering  that 
you  cannot  be  mine,  I  shall  ever  love  you.  But  worth 
less  as  I  am,  I  shall  hide  my  face  far  away  and  per 
mit  you  to  live  your  own  happy  life."  Still  in  tears  he 
drew  himself  up  and  gently  raising  the  weak  girl 
placed  her  upon  a  seat. 

Much  overcome  May  sobbed  lightly.  Was  she  in 
a  trance  or  a  dream?  Could  Dan,  who  had  been  so 
cruel  and  brutal,  speak  thus?  Had  the  spirit  of 

216 


Little 


goodness  revealed  itself?  her  bewildered  mind  asked. 
She  was  awakened  from  her  thoughts  as  Dan  said : 
"Go  home,  my  good  angel  girl.  I  swear  that  within 
twenty-four  hours  the  children  shall  be  at  their  moth 
er's  side.  I  admit  that  I  aided  in  bringing  on  their 
ill  fate,  which  has  broken  their  mother's  heart  and 
burdened  the  good  father.  I  belittled  your  love  in 
days  gone  by.  I  was  haughty,  and  brought  evil  on 
paths  of  others,  and  as  a  last  resort  to  end  my  devil's 
bane  I  treaded  upon  and  tore  your  heart  asunder 
from  my  own.  Despise  me,  you  should ;  but  you  thank 
me  and  forgive  me.  God  bless  you.  Good-bye,  sweet 
girl.  If  you  think  of  me,  think  of  a  broken  man  who 
will  live  and  atone  for  the  sufferings  he  has  caused 
others  till  the  Almighty  at  last  absolves  him." 

As  he  left  the  room  May  Thornton  now  first  fully 
awakened  and  realized  that  Dan  Connors  had  spoken 
in  deep  honesty.  Her  heart  felt  for  him.  Though  he 
was  bad,  he  had  shown  traits  of  good  within  him. 
She  knew  that  he  was  now  sincere,  she  knew  that  he 
suffered.  "Oh,  if  I  only  could  have  given  him  one 
word  of  cheer.  If  I  only  could  have  thanked  him 
once  more,  and  shown  I  had  forgiven  him,"  again  she 
softly  wept.  But  he  was  gone,  her  head  swam  in  be 
wilderment  ;  she  did  not  know  what  to  think,  or  how  to 
act. 

Suddenly  the  door  opened  and  there  entered  a  cab 
man,  who  approached  her  mildly.  "Pardon  me,  Miss. 
A  gentleman  instructed  me  to  bring  you  to  your 
home.  He  said  you  did  not  feel  well.  The  carriage 
is  waitin'  down  the  door,  and  the  fare  is  paid,  so " 

"No,  thank  you !  I  feel  good  enough  to  go  hme. 
I'll  just  take  the  car.  It  will  take  me  within  a " 

"None  of  that,  Miss,"  broke  in  the  cabman.  "You 
wouldn't  offend  the  gentleman,  I  hope.  He  felt  very 
sad.  His  eyes  looked  as  though  something  was 


Cfje  Little  %>ufferet0 


a-hurtin'  him.  A  good  Miss  like  you  wouldn't  hurt 
his  feelings  more?"  He  gently  touched  her  upon  the 
arm  and  she  followed.  Her  thoughts  reflected  back 
upon  Dan  Connors.  Her  feelings  towards  him  was 
now  that  of  a  staunch  friend  with  whom  she  sympa 
thized  deeply.  His  better  qualities  had  shown  stronger 
than  his  bad  ones.  He  had  much  good  within  him 
when  awakened.  To  conquer  it,  he  had  to  suffer.  She 
prayed  that  he  would  soon  regain  his  happiness. 

During  the  journey  back  to  the  home  of  her  friend 
her  mind  was  a  mixture  of  emotions.  She  felt  happy, 
and  she  felt  sad ;  she  worried  for  her  friend ;  she  hoped 
and  longed  for  the  next  day,  when  the  release  of  the 
little  ones  would  come.  She  felt  no  doubt  that  Dan 
would  keep  his  word.  This  day  had  been  a  trial  for 
her  life.  It  had  been  a  sentence  upon  others.  It  had 
afflicted  punishment,  and  it  had  given  reward;  It  was 
the  spirit  of  the  Soul  of  man  which  had  unfolded  it 
self  upon  both  plains.  God  the  Creator  of  it  all  had 
shown  his  wisdom  of  might,  the  value  of  unselfishness 
and  love.  He  had  shown  that  the  better  self  of  man 
is  the  stronger.  He  had  shown  that  sincerity  is  the 
strongest  pleading.  Within  it  all  was  a  cosmic  depth. 


CHAPTER    XVIII. 

THE    END. 

Was  the  assurance  of  the  release  of  Mrs.  O'Neil's 
children  to  end  May's  sufferings?  Was  their  home 
coming  to  restore  the  joy  she  so  hoped  and  longed  for? 
It  was  a  restless  and  sleepless  night,  and  the  morning 
which  followed  was  fully  as  sorrowful.  The  poor  girl 
bent  over  the  unconscious  form  of  Mrs.  O'Neil.  Be 
tween  prayers  to  Heaven  she  begged  her  to  have 

218 


C&e  Little  Sufferers: 


strength  and  to  live  to  receive  the  children.  She 
fairly  wore  her  heart  out  in  effort  to  re-awaken  her 
friend  who  remained  lying  motionless  as  in  a  trance. 
But  neither  a  quiver  nor  a  flicker  was  the  poor  girl's 
reward.  To  all  appearances  the  end  had  come. 

Harry  O'Neil  had  remained  home  from  work  and 
Lankey  had  assigned  some  one  to  his  job  in  order  to 
remain  with  his  bereaved  friend  upon  the  coming  of 
the  end.  While  George  had  faith  in  his  friend  as  be 
ing  strong  and  brave,  he  recognized  that  upon  viewing 
the  demise  of  his  .wife  with  all  hopes  to  regain  his 
children  scattered,  it  would  be  more  than  he  could 
bear.  May  Thornton  had  acquainted  both  of  them 
with  her  hopes  and  anticipations,  and  both  while  not 
caring  to  discourage  the  kind  girl,  felt  strong  doubts 
as  to  the  realization  of  her  hopes. 

Lankey  admitted  the  possibility  by  saying:  "There 
never  was  a  millstone  yet  that  crushed  the  corn  but 
what  left  the  meal  behind.  Dan  Connors  might  have 
been  a  rascal,  but  he  no  doubt  had  some  good  in  him. 
Though  the  life  is  ground  out  of  the  poor  woman,  let 
us  hope  and  pray  that  the  little  ones  will,  as  he  prom 
ised,  be  returned  and  to  nourish  the  spirit  and  heart 
of  their  worn  father.  Nothing  can  be  so  black  but  that 
it  contains  a  hue  of  color,"  he  would  add,  and  then  re 
mind  his  friend  of  the  lights  behind  the  clouds. 

Harry  naturally  felt  much  relieved  with  Lankey 
beside  him,  the  load  which  otherwise  would  have 
crushed  him,  was  now  comparatively  easy  to  carry. 
Both  of  them  would  sit  and  remark  upon  the  beautiful 
fidelity  of  May.  They  also  had  some  little  worry  re 
garding  her  health.  Lankey  daily  loved  her  more 
because  of  her  faithfulness  to  her  friend.  He  felt 
she  was  sincere,  and  that  her  affections  were  genuine. 
Still,  at  the  same  time,  he  did  not  wholly  accept  it  as 
natural.  "An  angelic  spirit  ought  not  to  invade  a 

219 


Little 


physical  existence  so  that  it  leaves  sad  footprints  upon 
her  own  self.  The  poor  girl  is  getting  beyond  herself. 
It  is  as  though  she  strove  to  end  her  life  for  a  cause 
which  fate  alone  can  account  for.  But  there  is  no 
doubt  that  she  is  a  wonderful  and  beautiful  character. 
She  is  truly  a  saint  in  earthly  disguise,  and  much  the 
better  would  the  world  be  were  we  all  as  she  is." 

"It's  a  grand  inspiration  to  live  for  and  help  others," 
broke  in  Harry ;  "but  there's  not  always  a  reward." 

"Truly;  but  whether  it  be  appreciated  or  not,  it 
leaves  a  feeling  of  self  joy.  What  you  do  for  others 
is  no  waste,  though  it  must  be  linked  with  reason. 
Cast  yourself  in  front  of  the  train  if  you  thereby  can 
save  the  crew  and  others,  but  never  steer  the  scow  on 
a  rock  unless  you  can  see  at  least  your  own  rescue. 
Man  must  not  be  fanatical  and  burn  himself  for  pleas 
ure  or  mere  notions,"  asserted  Lankey. 

However,  the  good  little  May  was  pining  away, 
and  it  was  feared  by  Lankey  and  all  that  her  death 
would  come  as  inevitably  as  that  of  her  friend.  May, 
too,  realized  it.  She  admitted  to  George  that  some 
thing  drew  her  to  the  poor  woman;  she  loved  her 
and  suffered  with  her  and  would  be  satisfied  to  die 
with  her,  even  though  stores  of  pleasures  were  await 
ing  her  in  this  life.  It  was,  she  admitted,  a  remark 
able  love  and  attachment  for  a  stranger  and  a  newly 
acquired  friend,  but  nevertheless  she  felt  it  consume 
her.  If  it  was  a  life  ambition,  it  was  none  the  less 
a  worthy  one. 

It  was  close  up  to  noon  hour  and  the  dying  woman 
had  shown  no  signs  of  life.  Harry,  Geo'rge,  and  the 
faithful  May,  with  her  mother  and  the  kind  neighbor, 
sat  sad  and  still  around  the  bed,  waiting  an  awaking 
or  an  end.  Suddenly  she  gave  a  light  quiver  and 
with  a  faint  motion  pointed  towards  the  wall,  directly 
at  the  foot  of  the  bed.  A  holy  emblem,  a  large  pic- 

220 


Little  %ufferer0 


ture  of  the  Lord's  Supper,  covered  the  wall.  She 
again  closed  her  eyes. 

"Oh,  merciful  God,  the  good  woman  wishes  to  have 
the  priest  give  her  the  last  rites,"  sadly  exclaimed 
Mother  Thornton.  "God  forgive  us,  why  didn't  we 
think  of  this  sooner?"  in  a  whisper  she  reproached 
them.  Harry  O'Neil  agreed  with  her,  as  also  did 
May,  and  the  good  neighbor.  Lankey,  however,  re 
mained  neutral. 

"My  good  wife  was  always  a  good,  faithful  Catho 
lic,  and  lived  up  to  the  order  of  the  Church.  This  is 
the  last  wish  of  her  life,  and  must  be  carried  out," 
said  Harry,  as  he  prepared  to  go  for  Father  Rex.  He 
was  intercepted  by  Mrs.  Thornton  and  the  neighbor, 
who  bade  him  remain  by  his  wife's  side  till  the  last. 
As  Mother  Thornton  volunteered  to  go  for  the  priest, 
the  kind  neighbor  begged  that  she  be  permitted  to  go, 
and  without  a  minute's  delay  she  set  off  to  find  Father 
Rex. 

In  the  space  of  ten  minutes  the  neighbor  returned, 
closely  followed  by  a  priest,  an  assistant  in  the  large 
parish.  Father  Rex  holds  his  assistants  ready  to  go 
upon  all  calls  of  unction ;  personally,  he  attends  to  no 
rites,  except  upon  extreme  occasions,  which  are  then 
only  in  appreciation  of  a  rich  donor,  or  some  member 
of  higher  standing  in  the  parish. 

As  the  assistant  father  entered  all  arose  with  bowed 
head.  Mrs.  Thornton  and  the  neighbor  sank  to  their 
knees,  showing  their  respect  for  the  office  of  priest. 

Lankey  George,  upon  the  priest's  arrival,  had  en 
tered  the  adjoining  room.  The  good  women  folks 
stepped  aside,  permitting  the  father  to  perform  his 
duties.  Whatever  aid  the  passage  and  rites  were  to 
the  immortal  soul  of  the  poor  woman,  she  remained 
unmovable,  and  to  all  appearances  gone.  The  kind 
priest  consoled  the  grief-stricken  husband  and  offered 

221 


C&e  Little 


a  prayer  to  strengthen  him,  thereupon  he  departed. 
He  was  soon  followed  by  the  doctor,  whom  Mrs. 
Thornton  had  sent  for. 

"The  good  woman  is  gone  at  last,"  said  the  profes 
sional  man  in  his  customary  blended  tone  as  he  felt  her 
pulse.  "She  struggled  hard;  but  it  was  a  death  that 
gnawed  more  than  a  cancer.  A  mother's  heart  arid  love 
for  her  children  cannot  be  trifled  with.  Some  time  ago 
I  attended  a  similar  case  of  a  poor  woman  who  suf 
fered  the  same  fate.  She  was  bereft  her  child  by  the 
Black  Hand  Society,"  he  said,  and  expressed  a  few 
words  of  sympathy  to  the  bereaved  husband  as  he 
took  his  leave. 

May  Thornton  still  clung  to  the  hope  that  the  chil 
dren  would  shortly  arrive.  "Dan  could  not  deceive 
me.  He  was  sincere,  and  he  will  keep  his  word.  I 
have  as  much  faith  in  him  as  I  have  in  Heaven,  for 
it  was  the  spirit  o&  Heaven  that  spoke  through  him," 
she  murmured.  "But,  oh,  she  is  gone  now,  poor 
woman.  She  was  denied  the  pleasure  of  meeting 
them,  and  the  poor  children,  how  will  it  affect  them 
when  they  arrive  and  find,  after  their  long  waiting, 
that  their  mother  is  gone?  Oh,  why  did  I  wait  so 
long?"  she  exclaimed,  feeling  a  pang  of  guilt.  She 
could,  however,  no  longer  weep.  Her  heart  was  heavy 
and  she  felt  a  depression  in  the  centre  of  her  body. 
Her  eyes  seemed  burned  out.  It  would  have  been  a 
relief  to  her  if  she  could  have  shed  tears. 

Harry,  consoled  and  supported  by  the  arm  of  his 
true  friend,  stood  over  the  dead  form  of  the  good 
woman,  crying  and  praying.  Soon  Lankey  led  the 
heart-broken  man  over  towards  the  window  and 
begged  him  to  sit  and  rest  himself.  Tears  trickled 
down  his  cheeks.  He  suffered,  but  made  no  uttering 
of  complaint. 

Kind  Mother  Thornton  proceeded  to  take  charge 

222 


CJje  Little  §>iifferer0 


of  the  burial,  and  prepared  to  go  to  an  undertaking 
establishment,  but  was  suddenly  disturbed  by  a  whiz 
zing  and  loud  sound  of  a  gong  which  came  from  with 
out  the  street.  Harry  braced  up  and  looked  out  of 
the  window.  Lankey,  too,  peeped  out.  An  automo 
bile  stopped  in  front  of  the  building.  Out  of  it  was 
lifted  a  little  girl  and  a  boy  and  a  child  was  carried 
in  the  arms  of  a  woman.  "Oh,  it's  my  children,"  cried 

stricken  O'Neil,  "and  now  their  poor  mother  is " 

He  could  not  speak  further,  his  heavy  frame  shook 
with  emotion.  Lankey  had  to  support  him  so  that 
he  could  remain  in  a  sitting  position. 

"Oh,  I  knew  it !"  cried  poor  May.  "Why  did  I  not 
go  sooner  and  her  life  might  have  been  saved?"  Here 
her  mother  embraced  her  and  wept  over  the  poor  girl. 
The  door  opened  and  little  Willie  and  Louise  flew  in, 
followed  by  the  woman  carrying  the  child. 

The  little  ones  taken,  too  suddenly  to  realize  the 
position,  rushed  to  their  father,  whom  they  first  dis 
covered.  He  roused  and  passionately  greeted  them, 
so  that  all  were  bathed  in  tears.  The  baby  had  reached 
for  May,  whom  she  so  well  remembered.  This  re 
sponsibility  awoke  new  life  in  May.  She  fervently 
hugged  and  kissed  the  little  one.  The  women,  without 
further  word  and  explanation,  departed. 

After  having  tendered  their  father  the  first  greet 
ing,  Willie  and  Louise  in  their  exultation  and  joy 
demanded  as  they  looked  about  where  their  mother 
was.  They  then  perceived  her  stark  figure  as  she  lay 
in  bed  in  the  alcove  room,  and  with  childish  quickness 
ran  and  threw  themselves  on  top  of  her.  Their  fa 
ther  and  Mrs.  Thornton  rushed  to  hinder  them  from 
embracing  their  dead  mother. 

"Here,  leave  them  caress  the  body  of  their  mother 
while  it  is  still  warm;  it  will  lay  cold  long  enough," 
commanded  Lankey  with  a  little  sternness,  as  he  drew 

223 


Little 


Harry  back,  and  motioned  Mother  Thornton  aside. 
May  was  too  occupied  to  fnink  of  anything,  but  satis 
fying  the  prattle  of  the  baby.  The  kind  neighbor  who 
had  stood  by  the  O'Neils  these  last  days  was  horri 
fied,  and  prayed  mercy  and  shame  as  the  little  ones 
bounded  on  top  of  the  extinct  form  of  the  mother. 

The  little  ones'  thoughts  were  that  their  mother  was 
asleep.  They  cried,  "Oh,  mamma,  wake  up,  wake, 
please  mamma,  don't  you  hear  ?" 

Willie  was  first  to  realize,  and  began  to  fear  that 
his  mother  was  dead.  Piteously  he  cried,  "Oh, 
mamma,  dear  mamma,  don't  die !  Live  with  us.  Oh, 
mamma,  I  was  a  bad  boy,  but  I  shall  never,  never 
smoke  cigarettes  again."  Louise  also  wailed  and 
begged  and  clung  to  her  mother. 

It  was  a  most  touching  sight.  Lankey  now  thought 
it  was  best  to  break  them  away  from  their  mother, 
and  walked  a  step  towards  the  bed.  He  startled, 
halted,  and  threw  up  both  his  hands,  for  he  noticed  on 
the  apparently  dead  woman  a  twisting  or  contraction 
in  the  region  of  the  eyes,  as  if  with  a  strong  effort 
to  force  the  lids  back. 

He  bid  Harry  instantly  run  for  the  doctor,  and 
gently  walked  close  to  the  form  of  Mrs.  O'Neil.  Re 
straining  the  little  ones  from  caressing  her  further, 
he  gently  said :  "Wake  up,  Mrs.  O'Neil,  your  children 
are  here  waiting  to  greet  you.  Wake  up,  wake  up," 
he  continued  forcibly  but  gently.  He  felt  that  her 
body  was  still  warm,  and  noticed  a  slight  respiration. 
The  stricken  woman  was  evidently  alive,  but  too  weak 
to  command  her  forces. 

The  doctor  came  running,  carrying  his  case  of  im 
plements.  Harry  soon  followed,  carrying  upon  his 
shoulders  a  syphon  charged  with  oxygen.  The  doctor 
had  hastily  decided  to  induce  artificial  respiration,  and 
by  this  means  bring  her  back  to  a  normal  condition  of 

224 


Little 


breathing.  "The  knowledge  that  her  children  are 
with  her  will  strengthen  her  will  power.  Could  she 
first  be  brought  to  a  stage  where  she  could  realize  it, 
she  will  live,"  he  announced. 

The  doctor  at  once  recognized  symptoms  of  life. 
As  he  had  been  deceived  before,  he  made  certain  not 
to  be  deceived  again.  After  a  hasty  examination  he 
applied  the  oxygen,  though  he  first  had  the  women  and 
children  leave  the  sick  chamber.  "To  open  her  eyes 
and  suddenly  see  her  little  ones,  would  be  most  fatal 
to  her  weak  heart,"  he  said.  "She  must  be  gently 
prepared,  and  not  until  she  is  normal  must  she  be 
permitted  to  meet  them." 

After  some  strong  exertion  the  doctor  finally  in 
duced  breathing.  Her  limbs  twisted  from  light  con 
traction  of  muscles,  her  nervous  system  was  set  a 
moving.  A  slight  flush,  though  barely  noticeable, 
showed  in  her  hollow  cheeks  and  on  her  temples. 
Faintly  she  drew  her  eyelids  back.  ''Be  strong  now, 
dear  woman ;  we  have  the  children  waiting  for  you, 
but  you  cannot  and  must  not  see  them  till  you  are 
strong  enough,"  said  the  physician  assuringly,  as  he 
lightly  exercised  her  arm.  "Rest  now  and  sleep  well 
and  very  soon  you  will  be  able  to  meet  and  embrace 
your  little  ones." 

That  Mrs.  O'Neil  had  understood  the  doctor  was 
evident.  Weak  as  she  was,  a  strong  light  shone  from 
her  eyes,  and  an  expression  of  happiness  dawned  upon 
her  face.  She  again  closed  her  eyes,  but  this  time 
with  no  pallor  of  death.  The  doctor  filled  out  a  pre 
scription  and  had  some  medicine  brought  him.  The 
kind  and  unusual  interest  which  he  took  in  the  matter 
had  influenced  him  to  stay  in  attendance  on  the  sick 
woman  all  night,  and  far  upon  the  following  fore 
noon.  Upon  his  leaving  he  was  satisfied  that  she  now 
could  be  saved. 

225 


Cije  Little  Sufferer* 


Harry  O'Neil  wept  for  joy,  and  embraced  his  friend 
Lankey.  Little  May  Thornton  felt  unspeakably 
happy.  Her  reward  had  come  at  last.  Though  she 
truly  loved  Lankey,  she  gave  Dan  Connors  many  a 
thought.  Cruel  as  he  had  been,  he  had  helped  her 
and  added  to  the  world's  happiness. 

The  little  ones  were  taken  over  to  the  Thorntons, 
where  they  were  to  remain  until  such  a  time  as  their 
mother  would  be  strong  enough  to  receive  them. 
Mother  Thornton  and  her  younger  daughter  looked 
after  the  children,  while  May  remained  nursing  back 
to  health  her  sick  friend.  Harry  joyfully  went  back 
to  work  again,  and  of  course  Lankey  called  as  regu 
larly  as  was  his  custom.  In  the  evenings,  in  his  and 
May's  spare  moments,  they  made  up  for  their  en 
forced  period  of  restraint  and  separation. 

While  Mrs.  O'Neil  daily  improved,  Lankey  and  May 
grew  deeper  in  love,  and  would  plan  for  housekeeping. 
George  had  over  five  hundred  dollars  saved,  and  his 
firm  had  lately  given  him  an  interest  in  their  concern, 
so  their  prospects  showed  bright.  Harry  O'Neil  was 
advanced  to  foreman  at  the  lumber  yard,  and  now  that 
he  had  his  children  beside  him  and  his  wife  recover 
ing,  he  felt  the  happiest  man  in  all  the  boroughs. 

Truly,  it  was  as  Lankey  George  always  said,  "The 
brightest  light  casts  the  darkest  shadow." 

The  O'Neil  family  at  last  were  happy.  All  shone 
bright  for  them  as  it  did  for  Lankey  George,  and  his 
true  little  May  who  were  to  be  married  a  week  hence. 
But  a  sad  shadow  was  cast  over  the  life  of  poor  Red 
Hook  Dan.  He  was  plainly  a  broken-hearted  man. 
He  deserted  the  neighborhood  and  nothing  more  was 
heard  of  him.  Poor  Katie  Thornton  took  the  treachery 
of  her  sweetheart,  in  his  plot  against  Jack  Stevenson, 
the  champion  of  good  mother  and  children,  so 
strongly  to  heart  that  she  never  forgave  him.  It  was 

226 


C&e  Little 


her  first  love  and  she  never  had  the  heart  to  venture 
into  another  experience. 

Jack  Stevenson  had  fallen  as  others  prospered.  He 
had  fought  against  fate  and  he  was  never  discouraged. 
"A  private  institution  cloaked  under  grand  benevo 
lence,  enriching  upon  charity  and  upon  the  poor  and 
defenceless,"  he  continued,  "being  usurpers  of  laws 
and  rights  cannot  forever  be  tolerated  in  a  country 
where  freedom,  duty  and  rights  are  a  Nation's  em 
blem." 


THE    END. 


227 


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